Manganese-doped titania matrix obtained by sol-gel process: Magnetic properties

The search for materials that can bear the increasingly abrupt conditions imposed to electronic devices in computers and other systems has intensified. Materials that are sensitive to variations in magnetic fields and resistant to sharp variations in temperature are desirable. To achieve such materials, several sample preparation methods have been employed. Most of these methods rely on the mechanical systems of mixtures and usually require significant discharge temperatures. In particular, the sol-gel method is quite promising because it allows for direct control of the structure and morphology of the material in all stages of the synthetic procedure. In this study, we have doped a titanium oxide matrix with manganese chloride, which afforded a material with a paramagnetic phase. Results from our investigation into the relationship between magnetic susceptibility and temperature, obtained from measurements in a superconducting quantum interferometer device (SQUID), pointed to the great sensitivity of the prepared material to low-intensity magnetic fields for temperature.