Cd-doped NdFeO3 nanoparticles: synthesis and optical properties study

This work reports the structure and optical properties of Cd-doped NdFeO 3 nanoparticles synthesized by the simple co-precipitation method without introduction of surfactants. Structural phase formation of the crystal shows orthorhombic planes of all samples (Nd 1− x Cd x FeO 3 ; x = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3). The average crystal size and unit-cell volume increased with the dopant concentration ( D XRD = 34.8–54.8 nm; V = 234.96–235.02 Å 3 ). The obtained Cd-doped NdFeO 3 nanoparticles have higher absorption in the visible region ( λ = 400–800 nm) than in the UV range ( λ = 250–400 nm) and the bandgap value ( E g = 2.36–2.28 eV) is much lower than similar rare-earth perovskite series such as HoFe 1− x Ni x O 3 , LaFe 1− x Ti x O 3 , NdFe 1− x Ni y O 3 synthesized by different methods. The excellent optical properties of Cd-doped NdFeO 3 nanomaterials give a great potential for applications related to optics.