Tuning the magnetic and magnetoelectric response in Bi1-xYxFe0.7Mn0.3O3 multiferroics

Abstract

Magnetoelectric (ME) coupling in multiferroic materials plays an important role in designing multifunctional devices because of their potential to tune polarization via a magnetic field or magnetism via an electric field. However, the single-phase ME materials have not been successfully explored in practical devices due to their low ME coupling coefficient. Here, we optimized the magnetic and magnetoelectric response of single-phase Bi1-xYxFe0.7Mn0.3O3 compounds by controlling the Y substitution and sintering temperature. Single-phase Bi1-xYxFe0.7Mn0.3O3 (where x varies from 0 to 0.20 in the step of 0.05) compounds were prepared by a standard solid-state reaction technique. The optimum sintering temperature and yttrium substitution were found to be 825 °C and x = 0.10, respectively, in which the sample shows the optimum microstructural, magnetic, and ME properties at room temperature. The optimized Bi0.9Y0.1Fe0.7Mn0.3O3 compound shows uniform growth of grains with less porosity, maximum remanent magnetization (∼0.012 emu/g), and enhanced ME coupling coefficient (35 mV/Oe.cm.). The ME coupling coefficient obtained from the optimized sample is six times higher than that of the pristine sample. This work provides a potential route for improving the ME coupling coefficient in BiFeO3-based multiferroic materials for practical applications.