Materials Chemistry and Physics, Vol.134, No.1, 430-434, 2012
Low temperature step magnetization and magnetodielectric study in Bi0.95La0.05Fe1-xZrxO3 ceramics
Single-phase, co-doped (La3+, Zr4+) Zell in polycrystalline Bi0.95La0.05Fe1-xZrxO3 (with x=0, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.06) ceramics (particle size similar to 650nm; tolerance factor similar to 0.883) were prepared by solid state reaction of oxides, followed by rapid quenching of samples. Enhanced magnetization was observed in co-doped (La3+, Zr4+) BiFeO3 which may be ascribed to the collapse of the spiral spin structure. Step magnetization was observed in zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) curves. The coexistence of ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity has been confirmed in the co-doped (La3+, Zr4+) Zell in BiFeO3 ceramics by means of (M-H) and (P-E) loops measurements. Magnetodielectric properties have been observed at room temperature. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.