Structural, Magnetic, and Dielectric Spectroscopy Investigations of Multiferroic Composite Based on Perovskite–Spinel Approach

Abstract

Multiferroic composite materials with the nominal composition (La0.8Gd0.2FeO3)1−x(Mn0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4)x, x = 0.0≤x≤1 were prepared using the co-precipition method. XRD, FTIR and Raman were utilized to investigate the structure phase, microstructural characteristics, vibrational bands. The optical properties were analyzed; the VSM was used to investigate the magnetic properties of the composites. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy is employed to investigate the dielectric and electrical performance of the prepared multiferroic composites. Rietveld refinement of the XRD patterns confirmed the orthorhombic phase for lanthanum gadolinium iron oxide (La0.8Gd0.2FeO3) and cubic phase for manganese copper ferrite (Mn0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4). The crystallite size of LGFO phase pointed out that it increases with increasing the MCFO phase, while the microstrain found to decline. The FTIR results elucidated the tetrahedral and octahedral bands. The deduced optical properties revealed that the samples have optical energy gap in the range 4.18 −4.5 eV. The magnetic properties revealed that the composites exhibit typical ferromagnetic hysteresis loops, indicating the presence of ordered magnetic structure. The frequency dependence of permittivity ε′(f) and real part of complex conductivity, σ′(f) exhibits a development of a net of micro-capacitors like behavior that stores charge carriers.