Efficient magnetoelectric dispersion in Ni and Co co-doped BiFeO3 multiferroics

Abstract

Pure and Ni/Co co-doped BiFeO3 samples were prepared through sol‒gel auto-combustion technique. The synthesized samples were calcined at 500 °C for 1 h before further characterizations. The rhombohedrally distorted cubic perovskite structure was confirmed for all samples through X-ray diffraction analysis. The surface morphology of each sample was visualized using scanning electron microscopy which elaborated the formation of spherical grains along with some agglomerations. Energy dispersive X-ray spectra revealed the presence of Bi, Fe, O, Ni and Co atoms in the same atomic and weight percentages as expected from their empirical formulae. The frequency dependent dielectric constant, tangent loss and impedance characteristics were investigated using impedance analyzer. It was also noticed that the ac conductivity increased when Ni and Co were substituted at equal amounts. The magneto-electric analysis witnessed the coupling between different ferroic orders in these samples.