Influence of Heat Treatment Conditions on the Production of Ultrafine Erbium Iron Garnet Powders Using Anion Exchange Resin Assisted Precipitation

This work proposes a method for the preparation of nanostructured Er3Fe5O12 powders, comprising the anion-exchange resin assisted coprecipitation of erbium and iron(III) ions and subsequent heat treatment of the products. Optimal conditions for the anion-exchange precipitation of a highly reactive stoichiometric precursor were determined, and the influence of the heat-treatment schedule on the yield and stability of erbium ferrite garnet nanoparticles was investigated. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction analysis, electron microscopy, thermal analysis, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. This synthesis method provides iron-erbium garnet with an average particle size of 25 nm at 800°C. The discovered patterns can be used to develop new methods for the synthesis of rare-earth garnet compounds.