Impact of Cr–Pr co-doping on structural changes and improvement of multiferroic properties in Bismuth Ferrite
摘要
The Bismuth Ferrite samples with the nominal composition BiFe0.95Cr0.05-xPrxO3 (x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03) were synthesized using a nitrate-based sol–gel method. The X-ray diffraction results confirm the formation of rhombohedral phase (R3c space group) without presence of impurity phases till x = 0.02. Scanning electron microscopy showed feature of grain growth, which is consistent with the decrease in microstrain computed using Williamson-Hall analysis. The dielectric measurements reveal the reduction of grain boundary resistance and increased magnetodielectric coupling for the x = 0.02 sample. The most striking magnetic enhancement is seen in the remanent magnetization, which rises from just 0.1769 emu g−1 in the Cr-only sample (x = 0.00) to 3.9015 emu g−1 at x = 0.02. On the ferroelectric side, the remanent polarization jumps from 0.7187 µC cm−2 for x = 0.00 to 6.4007 µC cm−2 at x = 0.02. The ME Coupling and Photoluminance results reveal that the Cr–Pr co-doping up to x = 0.02 has pronounced effect on the multiferroic properties of BiFeO3 to suggest its use in nano-devices where strong magnetoelectric coupling is desired.