Synthesis and magnetic properties tailoring of high-entropy rare-earth chromates (M0.2La0.2Eu0.2Nd0.2Gd0.2)CrO3 (M = Dy, Ho, Er)

This study synthesizes single-phase high-entropy rare-earth chromates (M 0.2 La 0.2 Eu 0.2 Nd 0.2 Gd 0.2 )CrO 3 (M = Dy, Ho, Er) (HE-RECs) via a solid-state reaction guided by a high-entropy strategy. Their crystal structure, microstructure and magnetic properties are systematically investigated. Results show that all samples crystallize into a dense, single orthorhombic perovskite phase (space group Pbnm ) after sintering at 1350 °C for 48 h. Chemical disorder and local lattice distortion at A-site induce lattice strain and Cr 3+ /Cr 6+ mixed-valence states, forming a unique local structure. This structure effectively modulates the Cr 3+ -O 2- -Cr 3+ super-exchange/Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions, as well as the f - d coupling between rare-earth ions and the Cr 3+ sublattice by altering CrO 6 octahedral connectivity. Dy-LENGCO exhibits the best total magnetic characteristics: The highest Curie temperature ( T C  = 90.65K), the highest saturation magnetism ( M s  = 61.44 emu/g) and the best coercivity ( H c  = 310.08 Oe). This benefit is related to the high intrinsic magnetic moment of Dy 3+ ions and its magnetocrystalline anisotropy, which allow the effective pinning of domain walls within the distorted lattice. The high coercivity ( H c ) of Dy-LENGCO suppresses the reversal of magnetic moments from thermal fluctuations. This property enables long-term data storage at elevated temperatures, positioning the samples as a candidate for next-generation storage media.