Magnetic properties and structure of TiO2-Mn (0.73 %) nanopowders: The effects of electron irradiation and vacuum annealing

Abstract

Nanopowder TiO2-0.73 % Mn was synthesized by the sol-gel method. Thermal treatment of the samples was carried out in vacuum at a temperature of 500°C. Magnetic properties were studied in the temperature range from 2 to 850 K. The effects of electron irradiation and vacuum annealing on the EPR spectra and magnetic properties of TiO2-Mn powder are discussed. It was established that a part of manganese ions in the anatase crystal lattice interacts antiferromagnetically, which causes a decrease in magnetization as compared to the result of the calculation for non-interacting ions. Vacuum annealing leads to the formation of oxygen vacancies and, at the same time, to a noticeable increase in the ferromagnetic contribution to magnetization, especially, after preliminary electron irradiation. We assume that the ferromagnetic contribution to the magnetization appears either due to incomplete compensation of antiferromagnetically directed moments of manganese ions, or due to positive exchange interactions of Mn ions via defects in the TiO2 lattice. It is shown that the temperature of magnetic disordering in samples with a spontaneous magnetic moment exceeds 600°C. © 2019, Institute for Metals Superplasticity Problems of Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.