DOE OSTI2015
Highlights: • The LaFe{sub 1−x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3} samples can be successfully prepared by polymer pyrolysis method. • XANES spectra confirmed the mixed valence states of Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 4+} for Fe ions and valence states of Ti{sup 4+} for Ti ions. • The ferromagnetism (FM) at room temperature (RT) can be observed in all LaFe{sub 1−x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3} nanoparticles and ceramics. • The uncompensated spins at the surface played an important role in the magnetism of LaFe{sub 1−x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3} nanoparticles. • The giant dielectric behavior of the ceramic samples can be easily found by substitution at B site. - Abstract: Perovskite Ti-doped LaFeO{sub 3} (LaFe{sub 1−x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3}, x = 0, 0.1, and 0.2) nanoparticles synthesized by the polymer pyrolysis method were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) were used to characterize phase, morphology, valence states and magnetic properties of the samples. The samples had a phase of the orthorhombic structure with crystallite sizes of 25 ± 2–47 ± 2 nm for nanoparticles, while ceramic samples had the grain sizes of 0.9 ± 0.3–6.0 ± 2.3 μm. The result of XANES spectra showed that the Fe{sup 3+}/Fe{sup 4+} and Ti{sup 4+} exist in the samples. The weak ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature is observed for all LaFe{sub 1−x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3} samples with a maximum magnetization of 0.32 emu/g for x = 0.2. Additionally, larger hysteresis loops induced significantly in ceramic samples with no saturation up to 10 kOe. The dielectric properties as a function of frequency at low temperatures suggest the presence of polarization in the samples due to the electron hopping between Fe{sup 3+} and Fe{sup 4+} ions.