Synthesis and characterization of Eu, Pr-doped garnet with augmented Ce solubility via controlled Fe2O3 reduction

Magnetic ceramics (ferrites) have long held a prominent position in various applications owing to their favorable properties. In the realm of ferrites, yttrium iron garnet (YIG) possesses distinctive optical and magneto-optical properties. In this area, Ce and Pr elements can synergistically amplify the magneto-optical properties of garnet, although the solubility limitation of Ce restricts the addition of large amounts of this element. In the synthesized composition of Ce x Eu 0.25 Pr 0.25 Y 2.5-x Fe 5 O 12 (x = 0.25, 0.35, 0.5) in the current research, a fixed amount of 0.25 mol of Pr has been considered, and to prevent the deposition of CeO 2 , 0.25 mol of Eu has been included as an additive. Additionally, a hypothesis has been proposed suggesting that the controlled depletion (3–8 wt%) of iron oxide can effectively boost the solubility of Ce in garnets. For the synthesis of samples, the optimized solid-state method has been used at two sintering temperatures of 1350 and 1420 °C in the air using oxide precursors. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping analyses have been utilized to investigate the crystallographic and phase properties. The findings reveal that Eu effectively elevates Ce solubility by 0.25 mol, aligning with expectations when co-doped with the other two elements possessing larger ionic radii than Y. This study represents the first instance of these elements being co-doped into garnet. Furthermore, the conducted tests provide support for the proposed hypothesis concerning the influence of Fe 2 O 3 reduction on increasing Ce solubility. Consequently, this investigation achieves the successful incorporation of 0.35 mol of cerium into the garnet structure through a 3 wt% reduction of Fe 2 O 3 .