Magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroic BiFeO3 nanowires

Nanowires are the building blocks of future nanoelectronic and spintronic devices. Multiferroic BiFeO3 nanowires of 20 nm size with rhombohedral structure (R3c space group) have been synthesized by template-assisted technique. Magnetic and electrical measurements reveal their ferromagnetic and ferroelectric behavior having high saturation, magnetization and polarization, 3.82 emu/g and 54 mu C/cm(2), respectively, with small leakage-current. Room temperature magnetoelectric longitudinal (L-alpha(ME)) and transverse (T-alpha(ME)) coupling coefficients have been found to be 10.738 and 6.866 mV/cmOe, respectively, using dynamic lock-in technique. The observed magnetoelectric coupling properties have been explained on the basis of their nano-size, phase purity and defect free nature. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.