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An experimental and theoretical study of the optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of novel inverted α-Cr2O3@α-Mn0.35Cr1.65O2.94 core shell nanoparticles

Journal of Materials Research volume 32, pages 269–278 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Magnetic core–shell nanoparticles (CSNs) have potential applications in spintronic devices, drug delivery systems, and magnetic random access memory. By use of our hydrothermal nano-phase epitaxy method, we have accomplished synthesis of novel, well-ordered α-Cr2O3@α-Mn0.35Cr1.65O2.94 inverted CSNs. XRD and TEM analyses show a core–shell structure with corundum phase throughout the core and shell with a minimal amount of interface defects. TEM-EDX and XPS data show Mn having the +2 oxidation state in the shell of the CSNs. Magnetization measurements at 5 K show a weak coercivity (HC) value of 8 Oe and an exchange bias field (HE) of 293 Oe. Ab initio calculations show that Mn incorporation in α-Cr2O3 results in narrowing of the energy band gap, substantiated by UV–Vis measurements, and half metallic behavior in case of Mn(III) substitution. Our calculations substantiate that Mn substitution in α-Cr2O3 results in a combination of antiferromagnetic and weak ferrimagnetic character of our CSNs.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Rishi Patel of the JVIC center at MSU for making the XPS measurements on our samples. This work used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), which is supported by National Science Foundation grant number ACI-1053575. We greatly appreciate the constructive reviews of the referees and suggestions made by the editor, which have improved our manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Astronomy & Materials Science, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, 65897, USA

    Mohammad D. Hossain, Robert A. Mayanovic & Ridwan Sakidja

  2. University of Arkansas Nano-Bio Materials Characterization Facility, University of Arkansas, Fayeteville, AR, 72701, USA

    Mourad Benamara

Authors
  1. Mohammad D. Hossain
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  2. Robert A. Mayanovic
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  3. Ridwan Sakidja
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Correspondence to Robert A. Mayanovic.

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Hossain, M.D., Mayanovic, R.A., Sakidja, R. et al. An experimental and theoretical study of the optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of novel inverted α-Cr2O3@α-Mn0.35Cr1.65O2.94 core shell nanoparticles. Journal of Materials Research 32, 269–278 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2016.504

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