Abstract
We report the role of novel samarium (Sm3+) doping on the structural, thermal, magnetic, and ferroelectric properties of BiFeO3. Polycrystalline Sm-doped BiFeO3 samples were synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction route. Bi1-xSmxFeO3 (x = 0.02–0.08) samples crystallize in rhombohedral structure (R3c). With the increase of Sm3+ content, the decrease in crystal size is attributed to the change in lattice parameters, since the ionic radius of Sm3+ (0.95 Å) is smaller than that of Bi+3 (1.03 Å). A clear magnetic transition temperature (TN) peak was obtained by DSC measurements. With the increase of Sm3+ content, the peak temperature gradually decreased. Sm-doped BiFeO3 samples exhibit ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic behaviors. Magnetism is strongly influenced by the substitution of Sm3+ ions in BiFeO3, and thus the magnetism of the synthesized samples is greatly changed compared to that of pure BiFeO3. Bi1-xSmxFeO3 (x = 0.02–0.06) samples have weak pointed hysteresis loops. While the BSFO-0.08 sample exhibit unsaturated rounded hysteresis loops possibly due to the large electrical leakage. Overall, we observed enhanced magnetic and ferroelectric properties by varying the Sm3+ content in BiFeO3. Therefore, the Sm3+ doping in BiFeO3 makes it a very prospective material for applications in spintronic devices, data storage devices, and sensors.
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