Investigating the impact of Gd3+ ion substitution in Sr2FeTiO6: insights into magnetic, electrical, and structural properties

In the present investigations, Gd 3+ ions were substituted at the Sr 2+ site through conventional solid state reaction technique. The influence of Gd 3+ ion substitution on the physical attributes of Sr 2 FeTiO 6 (SFTO) was meticulously examined. The basic structure of Sr 2 − x Gd x FeTiO 6 (SGFTO) (x = 0.2 to 0.8), was employed to start the Rietveld structural refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction patterns. This process confirmed the presence of a cubic structure with a space group of Pm3m . The replacement of Gd 3+ ions, noted for their larger ionic radii, led to a minor increase in the lattice parameters and the volume of the unit cell. The identity of the elements within the compound was determined by examining their oxidation states through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The SEM images reveal that as Gd content increases in the SGFTO samples, the structure becomes denser and more agglomerated, with reduced porosity and less uniform particle sizes. This suggests that higher Gd content leads to a more compact morphology, potentially impacting the material’s electrochemical performance and mechanical stability. The use of diffuse reflectance measurements confirmed that the band gap values decreased slightly from 2.95 eV to 2.24 eV for the Sr 2 − x Gd x FeTiO 6 (x = 0.2–0.8) materials, indicating that these synthesized samples exhibit semiconductor nature. The study investigated how often the dielectric constant and its behavior change with temperature, and these measurements proved that as the amount of Gd 3+ in the material increased from 0.2 to 0.8, the dielectric constant also increases. The research on magnetization showed that the prepared materials had a stronger magnetic property and displayed a antiferromagnetic behavior. All synthesized materials made in this way has the possibility to be used in today’s electronic devices, magneto-optical storage devices, and magneto-dielectric technologies. Highlights • The study investigates the substitution of Gd 3+ ions at the Sr 2+ site in Sr 2 FeTiO 6 using the solid-state reaction method, examining its impact on the material’s physical properties. • Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed that Sr 2-x Gd x FeTiO 6 (x = 0.2–0.8) maintains a cubic symmetry with a Pm3m space group, with Gd 3+ ion substitution causing a slight increase in lattice parameters and unit cell volume. • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and EDAX pattern analysis confirmed the presence and uniform distribu