Study on superstructure in ion co-doped BiFeO3 by using transmission electron microscopy**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51372174, 11074193, and 51132001) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

Abstract

La3+ and V5+ co-doped BiFeO3 ceramics are synthesized by rapid liquid sintering technique. The modulated structure in Bi0.85La0.15Fe0.97V0.03O3 is investigated by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two kinds of superstructures are observed in the samples. One is the component modulated superstructure and twin-domain, which is generated by La3+ ordered substitution for Bi3+ and frequently appears. The chemical composition of the superstructure is explored by x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The model of the ordered structure is proposed. Simulation based on the model is conducted. The second is the fluorite-type δ-Bi2O3 related superstructure. The relation between the ferroelectric property and the microstructure of the sample is also discussed.