Journal of Materials Science, Vol.48, No.10, 3852-3856, 2013
Weak ferromagnetic polar phase in the BiFe1-xTixO3 multiferroics
Neutron powder diffraction and magnetization measurements of selected samples of the BiFe1-xTixO3 series were performed. Ti4+ substitution was shown to induce the appearance of weak ferromagnetism in the initial polar R3c phase stable at x a parts per thousand currency sign 0.1. In the concentration range 0 a parts per thousand currency sign x a parts per thousand currency sign 0.1, room-temperature residual magnetization increases from 0 to 0.25 emu/g (the latter is characteristic of the field-induced weak ferromagnetic state in pure BiFeO3). The calculated ferroelectric polarization decreases from similar to 70 mu C/cm(2) (x = 0) to similar to 60 mu C/cm(2) (x = 0.1) at room temperature. Magnetic ordering coexists with the large spontaneous polarization in a broad temperature range to make the BiFe1-xTixO3 (x -> 0.1) perovskites promising for multiferroic applications.