Room-temperature multiferroicity in CeFeO3 ceramics

The cerium orthoferrite (CeFeO3) ceramics were synthesized successfully by solid-state method and the room-temperature multiferroic properties of CeFeO3 annealed under different atmospheres were investigated. A clear ferroelectric hysteresis loop with P-r = 0.8 mu C/cm(2) measured under 10 kV/cm is observed at room temperature in the CeFeO3 annealed under oxygen, implying the nature of ferroelectricity existing in the material which is ascribed to the crystal structure change and local lattice distortion closely related to the mixed valences of Ce and Fe ions, as revealed by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, and XPS analysis. Besides, Magnetic study reveals that CeFeO3 is a weak ferromagnetic material and the saturation magnetization increases with oxygen vacancies decreasing. The coexistence of the induced ferroelectricity and the improved ferromagnetism confirms that the better multiferroic property exists in CeFeO3 ceramics and the oxygen content (Ce valence) has a critical role in the ferroelectric property. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.