Unveiling the impact of Fe-doping concentration on the local structure and morphological evolution of Cr2O3 nanoparticles

A series of Cr2−xFexO3 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using a sol-gel-based method. Analysis through XRD and SAED of both pure and Fe-doped Cr2O3 nanoparticles revealed a rhombohedral structure belonging to the R 3‾cD3d6 space group, without the formation of secondary phases or Fe clusters. Fe ions were well integrated, as indicated by fluctuations in lattice parameters, and lattice strain. The crystallite size decreased from 38.42 to 27.54 nm with increasing doping concentration. HRTEM images depicted evenly distributed nanoparticles. At lower dopant concentrations (x = 0.1), smaller and more heterogeneous nanorod-like structures emerged, with average sizes and lengths of 36.56 and 39 nm, respectively. Increasing the doping content to x = 0.2 resulted in a morphological shift towards semi-spherical and ellipsoidal shapes, with average dimensions of 22.84 and 31 nm, respectively. At higher doping levels (x = 0.3), nanoparticles grew to 66.5 nm in size and exhibited a spherical morphology. Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectra showed red-shifting of absorption bands with increasing Fe content, attributed to variations in bond length and Cr/Fe–O–Cr/Fe structural perturbation. XPS and Mössbauer spectroscopy analyses confirmed the oxidation states of Fe3+ and ionized oxygen vacancies in the crystal lattice of Cr2O3 nanoparticles. Higher values of quadrupolar splitting Δ indicated greater structural disorder induced by Fe3+ in octahedral positions and in an oxygen-deficient environment. Atomistic simulations confirmed that Fe3+ dopants can induce the presence of vacancy-complexes, forming a stable double-defect configuration with vacant Cr sites along the c-axis, proximal to oxygen vacancies with a single positive charge. These findings offer both experimental and theoretical insights into the dynamics of structural defects in trivalent transition metal doping of Cr2O3 nanoparticles, which holds significant implications for spintronics research. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.