Sol-gel synthesized double perovskite Gd₂FeCrO₆ nanoparticles: Structural, magnetic and optical properties

Lead-free double perovskites are overtaking single perovskites as solar harvesting materials due to their superior stability, excellent catalytic efficiency and minimal toxicity. In this investigation, we have synthesized double perovskite Gd$_{2}$FeCrO$_{6}$ (GFCO) nanoparticles for the first time via a facile sol-gel technique to investigate their structural, magnetic and optical properties. The double perovskite GFCO crystallized in monoclinic structure with P2$_1$/n space group. The Fe/Cr-O bond length was calculated as $\sim$1.95 angstrom from the Raman spectrum which was consistent with the value, $\sim$1.99 angstrom obtained from X-ray diffraction analysis. The average size of the nanoparticles was determined to be $\sim$70 nm by both field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The existence of mixed-valence states of Fe and Cr was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The zero-field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) curves largely diverged below 20 K. A downturn was observed in the ZFC curve at 15 K which corresponds to an antiferromagnetic, N\'eel transition. The narrow magnetic hysteresis loop recorded at 5 K was nearly saturated and demonstrated an asymmetric shift along the magnetic field axis indicating the concurrence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic domains in GFCO nanoparticles. The UV-visible and photoluminescence spectroscopic analyses unveiled the semiconducting nature of nanostructured GFCO with an optical band gap of 2.0 eV. The as-synthesized thermally stable lead-free GFCO semiconductor might be a potential perovskite material to be employed in photocatalytic and related solar energy applications due to its ability to absorb the visible spectrum of the solar light efficiently