Mechanosynthesis of Gadolinium Iron Garnet

We investigated the mechanosynthesis of gadolinium iron garnet by high‐energy ball milling stoichiometry amounts of α‐Fe2O3 and Gd2O3, followed by short thermal annealings conducted at moderate temperatures. X‐ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy results revealed, for the as‐milled samples, the formation of the GdFeO3 perovskite phase, in relative amounts that depend on the milling time. The formation of the Gd3Fe5O12 garnet phase was observed in 1000°C/2 h or 1100°C/3 h as‐annealed samples. The occurrence of a milling time was verified in which the relative amount of garnet phase formed by further annealing is maximized.