Effect of zinc doping on phase evolution and characterization of nanocrystalline bismuth ferrite synthesized by chemical solution route

Abstract

Bismuth ferrite a multiferroic material at room temperature is synthesized by solution route. BiFe1-xZnxO3 with (x = 0.05, 0.075, 0.1, 0.125) has been prepared by doping bismuth ferrite with zinc at Fe site. Annealing of all the samples is carried at 450 °C for 2 h. The phases are identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and it is observed that all the samples are rhombohedral for undoped and 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5% zinc doped bismuth ferrite crystallites along with major planes of orientation. Using Scherrer’s formula, it is confirmed that prepared undoped and zinc doped bismuth ferrites are nanocrystallites in dimension. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed the structural morphology of the prepared nanocrystallites and seems to be agglomerated in form with anisotropic growth and interconnected pores. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) studies confirmed the presence of required elements for the successful synthesis in preparing undoped and zinc doped bismuth ferrite samples. The molecular signature of the samples is determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for both undoped and zinc doped bismuth ferrite. Doping leads to optimize changes in dielectric properties, comparable change in ampere as obtained from I-V curve. I-V curve obtained is nonlinear, while magnetic property improves, since Zn doping modifies spiral spin magnetic moment due to its particle size near to wavelength of antiferromagnetic axis of rotation and suppression of cycloid spin structure.