Mn2+-induced room-temperature ferromagnetism and spin-glass behavior in hydrothermally grown Mn-doped ZnO nanorods

• Published in: Physica status solidi. A, Applications and materials science Vol. 211; no. 5; pp. 1155 - 1161
• Main Authors: Vinod, R., Bushiri, M. Junaid, Sajan, P., Achary, Sreekumar Rajappan, Muñoz-Sanjosé, Vicente
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-05-2014; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: diluted magnetic semiconductors; manganese; nanorods; spin glasses; SQUID; ZnO
• ISSN: 1862-6300; 1862-6319
• DOI: 10.1002/pssa.201330394

The magnetic properties of Mn‐doped ZnO (ZnO:Mn) nanorods grown by hydrothermal process at a temperature of 200 °C and a growth time of 3 h have been studied. The samples were characterized by using powder X‐ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis and SQUID magnetometry. Mn (3 wt%) and (5 wt%)‐doped ZnO samples exhibit paramagnetic and ferromagnetic behavior, respectively, at room temperature. The spin‐glass behavior is observed from the samples with respect to the decrease of temperature. At 10 K, both samples exhibit a hysteresis loop with relatively low coercivity. The room‐temperature ferromagnetism in 5 wt% Mn‐doped ZnO nanorods is attributed to the increase in the specific area of grain boundaries, interaction between dopant Mn2+ ions substituted at Zn2+ site and the interaction between Mn2+ ions and Zn2+ ions from the ZnO host lattice.
M–H curve of hydrothermally grown ZnO:Mn (3 wt%) and ZnO:Mn (5 wt%) nanorods at 10 K.