Abstract
Multiferroics, with two or more coexisting ferroic orders (ferroelectric, ferro (antiferro)-magnetic) in a single phase, display promising photovoltaic characteristics which can be utilised in solar energy harvesting. However, the efficacy is seriously challenged due to their wide band gap, far from the ideal value of ~1.52 eV for photovoltaic applications, resulting in overall unimpressive performance. In the present work, an approach towards imparting multiferroism in an otherwise non-ferroic system was adopted through strain engineering. Bulk SrMnO3 (SMO) is antiferromagnetic-paraelectric. However, our previous first-principles studies predicted high-pressure phase transformation from bulk non-polar phase to a tetragonal polar phase. In light of the above, SMO was synthesised hydrothermally at 200°C for 96 h using water-soluble nitrate salts of strontium and manganese. FESEM study reveals the formation of hexagonal bipyramid shaped SMO crystals with elongated 1-D features. Powder x-ray diffraction studies and subsequent Rietveld refinement confirm the presence of hexagonal (P63/mmc) as well as tetragonal (P4mm) phases. Energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX) confirms Sr/Mn ≈ 1, the stoichiometric ratio. UV-VIS spectroscopy was utilised to estimate the optical bandgap of the as-grown sample which was found to be in the range of 1.4-1.5 eV. Temperature-dependent magnetisation plot indicates the magnetic transition temperature, ~275K.
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