Preparation of ReFeO3 nanocrystalline powders by auto-combustion of citric acid gel

Abstract

Autocombustion of citric acid gel was employed to prepare ReFeO3 (Re = Gd, Nd) nanocrystalline powders. The phase identification and lattice parameters were investigated by the X-ray diffraction (XRD). Fieldemission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) investigations were carried out to examine the morphology and average size of these powders. Several one phonon lines, two-magnon excitation, and two-phonon scattering have been assigned in their Raman spectra. Both NdFeO3 and GdFeO3 nanocrystalline powders were single ReFeO3 phase, which are agglomerated with average crystallite size of 70-90 nm. The investigations indicated that the autocombustion of citric acid gel method is an effective technology to prepare ReFeO3 nanocrystalline powders. © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.