Effect of Calcination Temperature on the Structural, Morphological, and Magnetic Properties of Rare-Earth Orthoferrite NdFeO₃ Nanoparticles Synthesized by the Sol-Gel Method

The sol-gel technique has been used to synthesize rare Earth orthoferrite <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mi mathvariant="italic">NdFe</mml:mi> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:math> nanopowders. The present investigation examines how calcination temperatures affect the structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mi mathvariant="italic">NdFe</mml:mi> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:math> orthoferrites. X-ray diffraction studies indicate that there is no discernible difference in the observed structures with calcination temperatures other than the bond distances and bond angles. The surface morphology and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) indicate that porosity of the samples is regulated by the physical shape of the tiny particles within them. Porosity is minimized as calcination temperature increases, showing a higher density that contributes to reducing leakage current features while improving the break-down strength. These variations are attributed to bond length and bond angle variation of the Fe-O. The photocatalytic activity of the NdFeO 3 nonoparticles was assessed by photodegrading a number of organic dyes, including methyl orange (MO), rhodamine B (RhB), and methylene blue (MB). The product displays significant photocatalytic degradation of the dyes whenever exposed to visible light. Overall, this investigation aims to establish a relationship between the physical properties and microstructural parameters to provide valuable insights into the magnetic interactions present in the samples and the comprehensive behavior of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mi mathvariant="italic">NdFe</mml:mi> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>O</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:math> orthoferrites samples calcination at different calcination temperatures.