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Weak Ferromagnetism in the FeCr2O4 Semiconductor Spinel with Half-Metallic Feature in the Ground State

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Abstract

Materials with multifunctional properties are currently being studied for countless technological applications. In the present work, an experimental and theoretical study of the iron-chromite spinel FeCr2O4 produced by the solid-state reaction technique is reported. Structural analysis from x-ray diffraction experiments revealed the crystallization of the material into a cubic structure and morphological and compositional studies showed the granular character, with nanometric and micrometric dimensions whose compositions are as expected from its chemical stoichiometry. Optical characterization reveals semiconducting behavior with bandgap 1.52 eV and the magnetic response shows weak ferromagnetic character at room temperature. The density of electronic states in the ground state evidences characteristic semiconducting for one spin polarization and conducting for the other close to the Fermi level, which is compatible with a half-metallic behavior with magnetic moment of 2.0 µB per unit cell.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially financed by Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología— MINCIENCIAS, on the project FP80740-243-2019 and División de Investigación y Extensión DIEB, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Bogotá.

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  1. Grupo de Física de Nuevos Materiales, Departamento de Física, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 111321, Bogotá, DC, Colombia

    J. A. Grisales Cerón, D. A. Landínez Téllez & J. Roa-Rojas

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  1. J. A. Grisales Cerón
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Cerón, J.A.G., Téllez, D.A.L. & Roa-Rojas, J. Weak Ferromagnetism in the FeCr2O4 Semiconductor Spinel with Half-Metallic Feature in the Ground State. J. Electron. Mater. 51, 822–830 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-021-09348-y

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