Structural stability of multiferroics BiMnO3 under high pressure

Abstract

Multiferroics BiMnO3 was fabricated via high pressure of 4 GPa. The crystal structure of as-prepared specimen was determined by x-ray diffraction to be highly distorted monoclinic perovskite with space group of C2. Multiferroism (or ferroelectromagnetism, i.e., coexistence of ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity) in as-prepared specimen has been reported in the recently published paper (Z.H. Chi, C.J. Xiao, S.M. Feng, F.Y. Li, C.Q. Jin, J. Appl. Phys. 98:103519, 2005). Structural toughness of as-prepared specimen under high pressure was studied in diamond-anvil cell (DAC) combined with synchrotron radiation x-ray diffraction. No structural phase transition was detected up to the maximum pressure of 27 GPa, indicating a compact and low compressibility of monoclinically distorted perovskite structure of BiMnO3. The bulk modulus B0 = 141 GPa (\( B^{\prime }_{{\text{0}}} = {\text{4}} \)) was derived from Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (EOS).