Enhancement in the Magnetic Properties of Yttrium Orthoferrite Materials by the Addition of BaO–Bi2O3–B2O3 Glass Sintering Aid

Abstract

The addition of powdered BaO–Bi2O3–B2O3 (BBBO) glass (0.25–1.5 wt%) to yttrium orthoferrite materials (YFeO3) powder facilitates an increased crystallite size, resulting in improved magnetic properties. The required YFeO3 (YFO) materials are synthesized through the sol–gel route using tartaric acid as a chelating agent, while BBBO glass is obtained via the conventional melt‐quenching technique. The crushed glass is added to YFO powders in different wt% and compacted at room temperature, subsequently; the compacted samples are sintered at 1000 °C for 3 h. The X‐ray powder diffraction studies infer that a maximum 1.0 wt% of BBBO glass is incorporated into YFO without showing any impurity phase. The optical bandgap of each sample is calculated using the UV data with the help of the Kubelka–Munk and Tauc relation, decreasing from 2.10 to 2.04 eV with an increase of BBBO content from 0 to 1.0 wt% in YFO. The highest magnetization value (4.02 emu g−1) is observed with 1.0 wt% BBBO added in YFO surpassing pure YFO and other BBBO‐added YFO samples. In conclusion, the improved magnetization value of the 1.0 wt% BBBO added in the YFO sample can be potentially utilized in different applications.