Pr-Doping Effect on Spin Switching in Nd0.8Pr0.2FeO3 Single Crystal

We have prepared single crystal Nd0.8Pr0.2FeO3 by using optical floating zone method and investigated the Pr-doping effect on its magnetic properties in detail. Pr-doping with a ratio of 20% at Nd site in NdFeO3 lowered the spin reorientation transition (SRT) temperature range of the undoped compounds from 107 to 170 K to 74-110 K, while the SRT type keeps the same; that is, the spin configuration of Fe sublattice changes from G(4) (G(x), A(y), F-z) to F-2 (F-x, C-y, G(z)). Unlike the previous research on Nd0.5Pr0.5FeO3, 20% Pr3+ doping exhibits more excellent properties in spin switching (SSW). There are two events of type-I and one event of type-II SSW observed in Nd0.8Pr0.2FeO3, and more interestingly, the type-I SSW in field cooled cooling (FCC) mode has not yet been observed in the parent single crystal NdFeO3. Besides, the type-II SSW can only be found at low temperatures when the magnetic field is below 100 Oe. When the applied field is 70 kOe, an significant magnetic entropy change (-?S-m) observed in the sample is 8.07 J/kg.K at 3 K. These results offer a better understanding to the doped magnetic anisotropy in RFeO3, and provide new possibilities in the application of magnetic switching materials under low magnetic fields of about tens of Oersted (Oe).