Site-controlled doping of Eu3+ in SmCrO3 with modulated magnetic and dielectric properties

Doping can optimize the magnetic and dielectric properties of SmCrO₃, thereby expanding its application of electronic sensing, information storage and low–frequency capacitors. Herein, the ceramic composites of SmCrO₃, Sm_1–xEu_xCrO₃ (x = 0.05 and 0.20) and SmCr_1–yEu_yO₃ (y = 0.05 and 0.20) were prepared by traditional solid-state reaction. The pristine and Eu-doped SmCrO₃ samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The characterization results confirm the uniform doping of Eu³⁺ into SmCrO₃, with all compounds exhibiting an orthorhombic structure and good crystallinity. The temperature-dependent magnetization measurements show that doping does not change the Néel temperature (T_N, 197 K) and spin reorientation temperature (T_SR, 34 K) of all the Eu³⁺ doped SmCrO₃ ceramics. Notably, the magnetization of Sm_1–xEu_xCrO₃ (x = 0.05 and 0.20) increases with greater doping content, whereas the magnetization of SmCr_1–yEu_yO₃ (y = 0.05, 0.20) decreases with increased doping levels. The magnetizations of the Eu³⁺ doped SmCrO₃ samples can be tuned between 0.54 and 0.79 emu·g⁻¹ under 100 K and 20 kOe. The dielectric measurements illustrate that the doped samples exhibit higher dielectric constant and lower dielectric loss than those of pristine SmCrO₃ at temperatures exceeding 300 K. This work presents a straightforward method for effectively modulating the magnetic and dielectric properties of SmCrO₃.

Graphical abstract