Optimal temperature and Mn content for enhancing optical properties and inducing room temperature ferromagnetism of Mn doped In2O3 nanocubes

• Published in: Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Vol. 128; no. 3
• Main Authors: Awad, M. A., Rabia, Mohamed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applied physics; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical vapor deposition; Condensed Matter Physics; Crystallography; Dislocation density; Doping; Ferromagnetism; Grain size; Indium oxides; Machines; Magnetic properties; Manganese ions; Manufacturing; Materials science; Morphology; Nanotechnology; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Oxygen content; Phase separation; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Processes; Refractivity; Room temperature; Surfaces and Interfaces; Temperature effects; Thin Films; CVD; Oxygen vacancies; Nanoflakes; Nanocubes; Optical properties; Ferromagnetism; Mn doped In; O
• ISSN: 0947-8396; 1432-0630
• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-022-05343-0

In this strategy, chemical vapor deposition technique is utilized to synthesize undoped and Mn doped In 2 O 3 nanostructures. Temperature effects on oxygen content, doping level and the associated morphological, structural, optical and magnetic properties have been investigated. The surface morphology examinations showed the ability of manganese ions to catalyze the nanoflakes of undoped In 2 O 3 to grow into nanocubes. An appropriate proposal for the growth mechanism has been elucidated. X-ray diffraction proved that Mn doping enhanced the growth of In 2 O 3 along different crystallographic planes with preferred growth of the (222) plane. The strain and dislocation density were decreased while grain sizes were increased with increasing Mn content. The optical analysis showed reduction in transmission that was related to oxygen vacancies in undoped In 2 O 3 and phase separation in doped samples. The optical band gap values were decreased from 3.82 to 3.71 eV with increasing Mn content whereas the refractive index values were increased. The magnetic response elucidated the optimal temperature and Mn content for inducing the room temperature ferromagnetism.