Observation of room temperature magnetoelectric coupling in Pb1−xBax(Fe0.5Ti0.5)O3 system

Abstract

Magnetoelectric coupling at room temperature in Pb1−xBax(Fe0.5Ti0.5)O3 (x=0.2 and 0.4) ceramics prepared by conventional solid state reaction method was observed. The Ba substitution for Pb reduces the lattice distortion, i.e., c∕a ratio, and hence the ferroelectric transition temperature reduces on increasing Ba content. High temperature magnetization measurement shows that the ferromagnetic Curie temperature (TC) decreases with increasing Ba in Pb1−xBax(Fe0.5Ti0.5)O3. An anomaly in both the dielectric constant (ε) and dielectric loss (tanδ) was observed in the vicinity of ferromagnetic transition temperature. The saturated magnetic and ferroelectric hysteresis loops in Pb1−xBax(Fe0.5Ti0.5)O3 system exhibit the coexistence of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric orderings at room temperature. An enhancement of 13–15% in magnetization was observed after poling the samples in dc electric field at 10kV∕cm. The magnetoelectric coupling between the electric dipoles and magnetic dipoles at room temperature was demonstrated by measuring the effect of magnetic and dc electric polings on ferroelectric and magnetic hysteresis loops, respectively.