Structural, Microstructural, Magnetic, and Ferroelectric Properties of Ba2+-Doped BiFeO3 Nanocrystalline Multifferroic Material

Multiferroic barium-substituted nanocrystalline samples having the general formula Bi1-x Ba (x) FeO3 (where x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25) were prepared by cost-effective sol-gel method using metal nitrates as oxidants. The prepared samples were annealed at 650 C-ay for 4 h using a muffle furnace. The influence of Ba2+ doping on the structural, microstructural, magnetic, and ferroelectric properties of bismuth ferrite (BFO) was studied systematically by standard techniques. All the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, and the average crystallite size was calculated using Scherrer's formula. The surface morphology of the prepared nanocrystalline samples was studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) technique. FTIR spectra were obtained to confirm the formation of the perovskite structures. The elemental compositional details obtained were confirmed by energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) analysis. Room temperature magnetic measurements were carried out up to a field of 15 kOe, and the parent sample (BFO) shows weak ferromagnetism. Further on, Ba2+ substitution in BFO shows an increase in magnetization. P-E loops were obtained to study the ferroelectric properties of all the samples. Obtained enhancement in magnetic and ferroelectric properties at room temperature is of great interest within the research community due to its wide range of applications in memory storage, spintronics, sensors, and multi-functional devices.