Journal of Materials Science, Vol.51, No.23, 10506-10514, 2016
Crystal structure and magnetic properties of Bi1-x Ca (x) Fe1-x Mn(Ti) (x) O-3 ceramics across the phase boundary
Crystal structure and magnetic properties of BiFeO3 compounds co-doped with Ca and Mn ions as well as Ca and Ti ones were studied using diffraction and magnetometry techniques. Crystal structure of the Bi1-x Ca (x) Fe1-x Mn (x) O-3 ceramics with x < 0.19 was attested to be single phase rhombohedral one, structural data obtained for the compounds co-doped with Ca and Ti ions testify stability of the polar rhombohedral state up to the concentration level of 25 %. Co-doping with Ca and Mn ions gradually modifies magnetic structure of the compounds toward weak ferromagnetic one; there is no correlation observed between the type of structural distortion and magnetic structure of the compounds. The Bi1-x Ca (x) Fe1-x Mn (x) O-3 compounds with x > 0.25 show complex magnetic behavior associated with the coexistence of antiferromagnetic matrix and magnetic clusters. Compounds co-doped with Ca and Ti ions with rhombohedral structure testify nearly three times larger remnant magnetization as compared with that observed for Ca|Mn-doped series, and magnetic state of the compounds with x > 0.1 remains to be homogeneous weak ferromagnetic one up to x similar to 0.3, and above this concentration, magnetic structure is disrupted because of diamagnetic dilution.