Kinetics of glass transition, negative magnetization and exchange bias effects in Sm1−xBixCrO3

Abstract

DC magnetization and magnetic relaxation studies of polycrystalline Sm_1−xBi_xCrO₃ (x = 0, 0.1) demonstrated the kinetics of magnetic glass behaviour in SmCrO₃: the frozen antiferromagnetic state was dominant to the glassy transition state. The glass transition temperature and the frozen components could be tuned by external fields and the proportion of the frozen fraction reached ca. 53.2% in this system. The doping of Bi in the Sm site gave rise to a zero-field negative magnetization and the disappearance of glassy behaviour in Sm_0.9Bi_0.1CrO₃. The negative magnetization was strongly dependent on the external field. The spin reorientation transition temperature and the Nèel transition temperature decreased significantly after substitution. The exchange bias effects detected in the magnetization–field isotherm curves at 5 and 10 K confirmed the strong interactions of the Sm³⁺–Cr³⁺ spins in Sm_0.9Bi_0.1CrO₃.