Ferroelectric Hysteresis Research Articles

Engineering band structures of two-dimensional materials with remote moiré ferroelectricity.

The stacking order and twist angle provide abundant opportunities for engineering band structures of two-dimensional materials, including the formation of moiré bands, flat bands, and topologically nontrivial bands. The inversion symmetry breaking in rhombohedral-stacked transitional metal dichalcogenides endows them with an interfacial ferroelectricity associated with an out-of-plane electric polarization. By utilizing twist angle as a knob to construct rhombohedral-stacked transitional metal dichalcogenides, antiferroelectric domain networks with alternating out-of-plane polarization can be generated. Here, we demonstrate that such spatially periodic ferroelectric polarizations in parallel-stacked twisted WSe2 can imprint their moiré potential onto a remote bilayer graphene. This remote moiré potential gives rise to pronounced satellite resistance peaks besides the charge-neutrality point in graphene, which are tunable by the twist angle of WSe2. Our observations of ferroelectric hysteresis at finite displacement fields suggest the moiré is delivered by a long-range electrostatic potential. The constructed superlattices by moiré ferroelectricity represent a highly flexible approach, as they involve the separation of the moiré construction layer from the electronic transport layer. This remote moiré is identified as a weak potential and can coexist with conventional moiré. Our results offer a comprehensive strategy for engineering band structures and properties of two-dimensional materials by utilizing moiré ferroelectricity.

A study on BaTiO3 – NiFe2O4 composite; microstructure, multiferroic and magnetodielectric properties

The lead-free x NiFe2O4 – (1-x) BaTiO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15) multiferroic composites were prepared via the solid-state sintering technique. Microstructure, multiferroic, and magnetodielectric properties of composites were investigated. According to the XRD data (from x = 5 to 15 wt%), the tetragonality factor (cT/aT) and unit cell volume of the BaTiO3 (BTO) crystal system diminished. Based on SEM images, ferromagnetic NiFe2O4 (NFO) grains are uniformly dispersed in the ferroelectric BTO matrix without additional reaction in the interfaces of two phases. The highest values of dielectric (dielectric constant (εr) ∼ 1905 and dielectric loss factor (tan δ) ∼ 0.049) and ferroelectric properties (saturation polarization (PS) ∼ 13 μC/cm2 and remnant polarization (Pr) ∼ 10 μC/cm2) are attained for x = 5 wt% due to the lowest NFO (non-ferroelectric) concentration. Also, with increasing ferrite concentration (up to 15 wt%), the ferroelectric properties of the composites show a gradual decrease. The saturation magnetization (MS) values rise due to increasing ferrite concentration (from 2 to 5 emu/g for x = 5 to 15 wt%). Moreover, coercivity (HC) drops from 150 to 110 Oe. The simultaneous observation of the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic characteristic hysteresis loops confirmed the multiferroic effect for x = 5, 10, and 15 wt%. The highest magnetodielectric constant (3 %) is obtained for x = 15 wt% multiferroic composite at the applied magnetic field of 6 kOe.

Ultrahigh Capacitive Energy Storage in a Heterogeneous Nanolayered Composite

AbstractFerroelectric polymers with robust electrical polarization have been extensively investigated for capacitive energy storage. However, their inherent ferroelectric hysteresis loss limits the discharged energy density and compromises energy efficiency. Here, a heterogeneous nanolayered composite of ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride‐trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF‐TrFE)) and Al2O3 is presented, which effectively mitigates ferroelectric hysteresis loss while maintaining high polarization and enhanced breakdown strength. Phase‐field simulations indicate that the polarization behaviors of the heterogeneous layered structure are jointly influenced by the thickness and dielectric constant of each component, which balances the electrical energy and Landau energy within the heterogeneous system. Guided by the theoretical simulations, optimized polarization behaviors are achieved with a significant reduction in remnant polarization and ferroelectric loss in the P(VDF‐TrFE)/Al2O3 composites through careful control of P(VDF‐TrFE) thickness at nanometer scale. Moreover, the presence of multiple interfaces in the layered composites leads to a remarkable enhancement in polarization and breakdown strength. Consequently, an ultrahigh energy density of about 108 J cm−3 is achieved with a high charge–discharge efficiency of exceeding 80%. This work not only presents a straightforward approach to modify the polarization behaviors of ferroelectric polymers but also demonstrates a promising strategy for developing high‐energy‐density polymer nanocomposites.

Effect of unsaturated or saturated ferroelectric polarization on electrocaloric effect

The pursuit of high-efficiency and zero-emission refrigeration technologies has spurred interest in electrocaloric (EC) refrigeration utilizing ferroelectric (FE) materials, where accurate characterization of the EC effect is crucial for comprehending its underlying physical mechanisms and for developing high-performance EC materials. In this study, we investigate the influence of unsaturated vs saturated FE polarization characteristics on EC effects using Pb0.99Nb0.02[(Zr0.6Sn0.4)0.85Ti0.15]0.98O3 ceramics. Direct EC measurement reveals that unsaturated loops can introduce substantial errors and even fake negative EC effects when employing the Maxwell approach for indirect EC measurement. In contrast, relatively accurate indirect EC results can be obtained using saturated FE hysteresis loops. Furthermore, it also highlights the necessity for saturated polarization conditions to achieve optimal EC performance in FEs. This work not only emphasizes the importance of carefully selecting polarization data for indirect EC measurements, but also presents a universal strategy to enhance EC effects in various materials.

Coexistence of ferroelectricity and antiferroelectricity in 2D van der Waals multiferroic

Multiferroic materials have been intensively pursued to achieve the mutual control of electric and magnetic properties. The breakthrough progress in 2D magnets and ferroelectrics encourages the exploration of low-dimensional multiferroics, which holds the promise of understanding inscrutable magnetoelectric coupling and inventing advanced spintronic devices. However, confirming ferroelectricity with optical techniques is challenging in 2D materials, particularly in conjunction with antiferromagnetic orders in single- and few-layer multiferroics. Here, we report the discovery of 2D vdW multiferroic with out-of-plane ferroelectric polarization in trilayer NiI2 device, as revealed by scanning reflective magnetic circular dichroism microscopy and ferroelectric hysteresis loops. The evolution between ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases has been unambiguously observed. Moreover, the magnetoelectric interaction is directly probed by magnetic control of the multiferroic domain switching. This work opens up opportunities for exploring multiferroic orders and multiferroic physics at the limit of single or few atomic layers, and for creating advanced magnetoelectronic devices.

Above-Room-Temperature Ferroelectricity and Giant Second Harmonic Generation in 1D vdW NbOI3.

The realization of spontaneous ferroelectricity down to the one-dimensional (1D) limit is both fundamentally intriguing and practically appealing for high-density ferroelectric and nonlinear photonics. However, the 1D vdW ferroelectric materials are not discovered experimentally yet. Here, the first 1D vdW ferroelectric compound NbOI3 with a high Curie temperature TC>450K and giant second harmonic generation (SHG) is reported. The 1D crystalline chain structure of the NbOI3 is revealed by cryo-electron microscopy, whereas the 1D ferroelectric order originated from the Nb displacement along the Nb-O chain (b-axis) is confirmed via obvious electrical and ferroelectric hysteresis loops. Impressively, NbOI3 exhibits a giant SHG susceptibility up to 1572pmV-1 at a fundamental wavelength of 810nm, and a further enhanced SHG susceptibility of 5582pmV-1 under the applied hydrostatic pressure of 2.06GPa. Combing in situ pressure-dependent X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra measurements, and first-principles calculations, it is demonstrated that the O atoms shift along the Nb─O atomic chain under compression, which can lead to the increased Baur distortion of [NbO2I4] octahedra, and hence induces the enhancement of SHG. This work provides a 1D vdW ferroelectric system for developing novel ferroelectronic and photonic devices.

Multiferroic properties and local ferroelectricity of polycrystalline LuFeO3 thin films with triangular grains on glass substrates

Polycrystalline LuFeO3 (LFO) thin films were prepared on multilayer Pt/Ta/glass substrates. The ferroelectric hysteresis loop of the LFO thin film exhibited a remanent polarization of about 5.7 μC/cm2. The ferroelectric hysteresis loop of the LFO thin film deposited at a relatively slow rate provides valuable information about its recoverable energy density (8.8 J/cm3) and loss energy density (9.3 J/cm3), resulting in an estimated energy storage efficiency of around 49%. The LFO thin film had triangular grains with a diameter of approximately 90 nm, which well reflects the crystallinity of hexagonal LFO. From the local piezoelectric d33 hysteresis loops of a triangular grain, it was confirmed that the edge of a triangular grain had a remanent d33 value larger than the center of a triangular grain. Additionally, a mosaic domain structure of the LFO thin film was well correlated with the AFM image. By applying the Landau, Lifshitz, and Kittel (LLK) scaling law, it was confirmed that the LFO thin films have a domain wall energy lower than that of PbTiO3 thin films.

Ultra-High-k Ferroelectric BaTiO3 Perovskite in the Gate Stack for Two-Dimensional WSe2 p-Type High-Performance Transistors.

The experimental demonstration of a p-type 2D WSe2 transistor with a ferroelectric perovskite BaTiO3 gate oxide is presented. The 30 nm thick BaTiO3 gate stack shows a robust ferroelectric hysteresis with a remanent polarization of 20 μC/cm2 and further enables a capacitance equivalent thickness of 0.5 nm in the hybrid WSe2/BaTiO3 stack due to its high dielectric constant of 323. We demonstrate one of the best ON currents for perovskite gate 2D transistors in the literature. This is enabled by high-quality epitaxial growth of BaTiO3 and a single 2D layer transfer based fabrication method that is shown to be amenable to silicon platforms. This demonstration is an important milestone toward the integration of crystalline complex oxides with 2D channel materials for scaled CMOS and low-voltage ferroelectric logic applications.

Comprehensive electrical properties and thermal stability of PNT-xPZ-PT ceramics via composition optimization

The structure, electrical properties, and thermal stability of 2 mol% MnO2-doped 0.12Pb(Ni1/3Ta2/3)O3-xPbZrO3-(0.88-x)PbTiO3 (abbreviated as PNT-xPZ-PT-Mn, x = 0.41, 0.42, 0.43, 0.44) ceramics were systematically investigated to analyze the impact of varying PZ content within the range of 0.41–0.44. In addition, the high temperature polarization method was employed to achieve enhanced electrical performance. Notably, optimized electrical properties of d33 = 400 pC/N, Qm = 757, FOM = 3.0×105 pC/N and kp = 0.616 were obtained for the PNT-0.43PZ-PT-Mn ceramics. The enhanced electrical properties observed in this study could be attributed to the presence of dielectric relaxor behavior, and the manifestation of ferroelectric hysteresis effects. In particular, d33 and kp values exhibited a consistent trend from the room temperature to the Curie temperature, thereby indicating the remarkable thermal stability of PNT-0.43PZ-PT-Mn ceramics. This study presented a systematic approach to enhance the properties of PZT-based materials.

Al1−xScxSbyN1−y: An opportunity for ferroelectric semiconductor field effect transistor

For the in-memory computation architecture, a ferroelectric semiconductor field-effect transistor (FeSFET) incorporates ferroelectric material into the FET channel to realize logic and memory in a single device. The emerging group III nitride material Al1−xScxN provides an excellent platform to explore FeSFET, as this material has significant electric polarization, ferroelectric switching, and high carrier mobility. However, steps need to be taken to reduce the large band gap of ∼5 eV of Al1−xScxN to improve its transport property for in-memory logic applications. By state-of-the-art first principles analysis, here we predict that alloying a relatively small amount (less than ∼5%) of Sb impurities into Al1−xScxN very effectively reduces the band gap while maintaining excellent ferroelectricity. We show that the co-doped Sb and Sc act cooperatively to give a significant band bowing leading to a small band gap of ∼1.76 eV and a large polarization parameter ∼0.87 C/m2, in the quaternary Al1−xScxSbyN1−y compounds. The Sb impurity states become more continuous as a result of interactions with Sc and can be used for impurity-mediated transport. Based on the Landau-Khalatnikov model, the Landau parameters and the corresponding ferroelectric hysteresis loops are obtained for the quaternary compounds. These findings indicate that Al1−xScxSbyN1−y is an excellent candidate as the channel material of FeSFET.

A Comprehensive Comparison of the Structural, Ferroelectric, Energy Storage, and Photocatalytic Properties of Chemical Composition-Tailored Perovskite Ceramics

This article reports on the structural, ferroelectric, energy density, and photocatalytic properties of (Pb0.50Ba0.35Ca0.15)(Fe0.25Nb0.25Ti0.50)O3 [PBCTO] and (Pb0.50Ba0.50)(Fe0.25Nb0.25Zr0.1Ti0.40)O3 [PBZTO] ceramics synthesized by the solid synthesis route. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra confirmed peaks corresponding to perovskite crystalline structure with tetragonal phase for both PBCTO and PBZTO ceramics. Slim ferroelectric hysteresis was observed in polarization-electric field measurements. Remnant polarization (Pr), and coercive field (Ec) values are ∼3.63 μC cm−2, ∼25.4 kV cm−1, and ∼1.39 μC cm−2 and 17.9 kV cm−1 for PBCTO and PBZTO, respectively. Energy densities were obtained from ferroelectric hysteresis loops. For PBCTO ceramics, the largest unreleased energy density is 0.72 J cm−3 @ 200 kV cm−1; for PBZTO ceramics, the largest unreleased energy density is 0.60 J cm−3 @200 kV cm−1. Photocatalytic performance was studied on methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under visible irradiation. The degradation percentage of MB dye in the presence of PBCTO and PBZTO was found to be 56% and 98% in 80 min with irradiation. The degradation percentage of MO dye in the presence of PBCTO and PBZTO at their respective wavelength was 48% and 97% in 120 min with irradiation. These bulk ceramics under study have shown interesting multifunctional properties useful for various potential applications.

Effects of doping with magnetic cations on the hybrid improper ferroelectricity in Sr3Sn2O7

We here report the structural, magnetic and electrical properties of Sr2.9La0.1Sn1.9M0.1O7 (M= Cr, Mn or Fe) compounds. This La/M codoping of the hybrid improper ferroelectric Sr3Sn2O7, allows introducing magnetic cations into the perovskite layers of this Ruddlesden-Popper phase. The doping induces minor structural changes, preserving the polar structure with space group A21am of the undoped compound. The perovskite tolerance factor of all doped samples is slightly lower than in Sr3Sn2O7, which preserves the tilts and rotations of SnO6 octahedra. Doped samples exhibit a paramagnetic behavior down to 5 K and obey the Curie-Weiss law above 200 K. The effective paramagnetic moments agree with the expected spin-only values of the respective magnetic M3+ cations. All samples show a ferroelectric hysteresis loop at room temperature, but the doped samples show larger coercive fields. Additionally, the doping with magnetic cations has important effects on the dielectric properties: a strong decrease of the temperature of the ferroelectric transition together with a smoothing of the anomaly in the dielectric permittivity. These results suggest that the disorder produced by the two aliovalent substitutions is detrimental for the ferroelectric properties due to point charge defects but, at the same time, the prevalence of the structural distortion (tilts and rotations) preserves the ferroelectricity in the investigated doping regime.

Negative slope polarization in ferroelectric hysteresis loop engineered by defect dipoles

The power dissipation in conventional microelectronic devices is facing a fundamental barrier of Boltzmann Tyranny. The negative capacitance (NC) effect in ferroelectric materials provides possible solution to overcome this impending problem and gets a lot of attention. Here we report a novel method to design negative capacitance in ferroelectrics by the introduction of defect-dipole engineering. In the molecular dynamics simulations of a first principles-based effective Hamiltonian, an abnormal polarization with negative slope and corresponding differential capacitance are observed in the polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis loops when the applied electric field is perpendicular to the direction of the defect dipoles in acceptor-doped BaTiO3 single crystals. This phenomenon is attributed to the fact that the polarization overshoots, oscillates and finally gradually switches to the direction of defect dipoles by their restoring forces during the polarization switching near the coercive field. The P-E loop exhibits abnormal NC response only at a certain range of defect levels, and there are double loops at high level and typical square-shaped loops at low level. Moreover, in the experiments of poled 1 mol.% Mn-doped BaTiO3 ceramics, the abnormal negative slope polarization in P-E loops is confirmed, which are in good agreement with the simulation results.

Enhancement of ferroelectric properties of the Ga0.6Fe1.4O3 films by Zn,N co-doping

Multiferroic materials have attracted considerable interests due to their scientific and technological importance in advanced devices. Ga0.6Fe1.4O3 thin film exhibits ferrimagnetism above room temperature but suffers from large leakage current. To reduce the charge conduction and enhance the ferroelectric properties of Ga0.6Fe1.4O3 film, ion doping is a useful technique. In this study, we fabricated Ga0.6Fe1.4-xZnxO3/N films by substituting Zn2+ and N3- ions in Ga0.6Fe1.4O3 for Fe and O, respectively. The influence of Zn, N co-doping on the structure, leakage current, magnetic and ferroelectric properties of the films were investigated. The results indicated that the films exhibited the orthorhombic structure with the incorporation of Zn and N. All Ga0.6Fe1.4-xZnxO3/N films showed above room temperature ferrimagnetism, and the magnetization and transition temperature values decreased with Zn,N co-doping. The microscopic and macroscopic ferroelectric measurements have demonstrated the ferroelectric polarization switching of the films. The ferroelectric hysteresis loops of the Ga0.6Fe1.38Zn0.02O3/N film showed the remnant polarization of ∼0.46 μC/cm2 with the coercive field of ±2 V at room temperature. The leakage current significantly reduced from ∼3.27×10−1 A/cm2 for pure Ga0.6Fe1.4O3 film to ∼1.48×10−5 A/cm2 for Ga0.6Fe1.35Zn0.05O3/N film, by four orders of magnitude. This may be attributed to the incorporation of Zn2+ and N3-, providing charge compensation to valence fluctuations of Fe between Fe3+ and Fe2+. These results provide an effective method to improve the ferroelectricity of Ga0.6Fe1.4O3 film, and open a wide perspective for the potential application in magnetoelectric devices.

Comparative performance of fluorite-structured materials for nanosupercapacitor applications

Over the last fifteen years, ferroelectric (FE) and antiferroelectric (AFE) ultra-thin films based on fluorite-structured materials have drawn significant attention for a wide variety of applications requiring high integration density. AFE ZrO2, in particular, holds significant promise for nanosupercapacitors, owing to its potential for high energy storage density (ESD) and high efficiency (η). This work assesses the potential of high-performance Hf1−xZrxO2 thin films encapsulated by TiN electrodes that show linear dielectric (LD), FE, and AFE behavior. A wake-up effect is observed for AFE ZrO2, a phenomenon barely reported for pure zirconium oxide and AFE materials in general, correlated with the disappearance of the pinched hysteresis loop commonly observed for Zr-doped HfO2 thin films. ESD and η are compared for FE, AFE, and LD samples at the same electrical field (3.5 MV/cm). As expected, ESD is higher for the FE sample (95 J/cm3), but η is ridiculously small (≈55%) because of the opening of the FE hysteresis curve, inducing high loss. Conversely, LD samples exhibit the highest efficiency (nearly 100%), at the expense of a lower ESD. AFE ZrO2 thin film strikes a balance between FE and LD behavior, showing reduced losses compared to the FE sample but an ESD as high as 52 J/cm3 at 3.5 MV/cm. This value can be further increased up to 84 J/cm3 at a higher electrical field (4.0 MV/cm), with an η of 75%, among the highest values reported for fluorite-structured materials, offering promising perspectives for future optimization.

Impedance spectroscopy and electrical conductivity of 0.7Bi(1−x)NdxFeO3–0.3BaTiO3 ferroelectric ceramics

0.7Bi[Formula: see text]NdxFeO3–0.3BaTiO3 (BNFO–BTO, [Formula: see text], 0.010, 0.020 and 0.050) ceramics were fabricated using the high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed that the primary phase in these ceramics was pseudocubic. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs exhibited dense microstructures throughout all BNFO–BTO ceramics. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of dielectric behaviors and ferroelectric hysteresis loop shapes suggested the occurrence of a relaxor ferroelectric-type phase transition in BNFO–BTO ceramics. Additionally, the frequency dispersion characteristics and remnant polarization were enhanced with increasing substitution of Bi[Formula: see text] by Nd[Formula: see text]. Conducted impedance analysis on 0.7Bi[Formula: see text]NdxFeO3–0.3BaTiO3 ceramics and two dielectric responses of the grain at high frequency and grain boundary at low frequency were illustrated, respectively. The combination of imaginary impedance ([Formula: see text] and imaginary modulus ([Formula: see text] versus log[Formula: see text]f plots revealed that the charge carriers’ motion was not entirely long-range, short-range migration also exists. Through calculations based on Curie–Weiss Law, the relaxation activation energy ([Formula: see text] and conductance activation energy ([Formula: see text] were investigated, confirming that doping Nd[Formula: see text] effectively mitigates the concentration of oxygen vacancies (OVs) and prevents the formation of oxygen vacancies clusters, ultimately suppressing conductivity in BNFO–BTO ceramics.

Chromium‐substituted bismuth titanate–niobate exhibiting superior piezoelectric performance for high‐temperature applications

AbstractHigh‐temperature piezoelectric ceramics with excellent piezoelectric properties are key materials for high‐temperature piezoelectric devices. In this context, bismuth titanate–niobate (Bi3TiNbO9) is one of the most promising candidates, owing to its high Curie temperature (TC) > 900°C. However, the relatively low piezoelectric response of prototype Bi3TiNbO9 does not satisfy the requirements of high‐precision and high‐sensitivity applications. Herein, chromium‐substituted Bi3TiNbO9 with a nominal composition, Bi3Ti1−xCrxNbO9 (BTN‐100xCr), was prepared using the solid‐state reaction method. Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction refinements revealed structural distortions induced by the substitution of chromium. Piezo‐response force microscopy and ferroelectric hysteresis loops showed facile polarization reversal and domain wall movement in chromium‐substituted Bi3TiNbO9. The resultant structural distortion and domain wall movement served as intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to the enhancement of the piezoelectric properties, respectively. Consequently, BTN‐1.5Cr exhibits a high piezoelectric constant (d33) of 17.7 pC/N, which is four times that of Bi3TiNbO9 (4.2 pC/N), a high TC of 908°C, and an excellent thermal stability of piezoelectric and electromechanical coupling properties up to 500°C. These results indicate that chromium substitution enhances the high‐temperature piezoelectric properties of Bi3TiNbO9, and chromium‐substituted Bi3TiNbO9 is a promising candidate for high‐temperature piezoelectric applications.

A simple displacement perturbation method for phase-field modeling of ferroelectric thin film

A displacement perturbation method is proposed for phase-field simulations of the ferroelectric domain structures. A temperature-misfit strain phase diagram is computed to validate this method's accuracy, encompassing rhombohedral, orthorhombic, tetragonal, cubic, and mixed phases by comparing with previous phase-field simulations. The change in free energy density surface with temperature and strain distribution is computed to clarify the mechanism of the mixed phase. The phase diagram, ferroelectric hysteresis, and domain structure all demonstrate that the numerical method of displacement discretization is reliable and practical in solving the time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equation, consistent with previous simulated and experimental results. This new method offers the advantages of simple programming and easy parallelism, paving the way for advancements in phase-field modeling.

Characterization of polycrystalline BiFeO3 films prepared by magnetic-field-assisted 90° off-axis pulsed laser deposition

Polycrystalline BiFeO3 (BFO) films were prepared on a Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substate using magnetic field-assisted 90° off-axis pulsed laser deposition (PLD). We have successfully obtained polycrystalline BFO films owing to a high deposition rate derived by the confinement of the plume under a magnetic field. The obtained polycrystalline BFO films have a droplet-free surface morphology and a columnar-like microstructure. A RT ferroelectric hysteresis loop is obtained, and at the same time, the remanent polarization of 90 μC cm−2 and the reduced coercive field of 178 kV cm−1 are confirmed. Also, an evolution of the polarization switching is observed by the piezoresponse force microscopy. In this study, we provide a possible route to realize the polycrystalline film growth which has a good quality in a 90° off-axis deposition system using magnetic field-assisted PLD.

Sintering-induced multiferroicity in 0.93(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3–0.07BaTiO3 ceramics

Two 0.93(Na[Formula: see text]Bi[Formula: see text]TiO3–0.07BaTiO3 ceramics were sintered for 2[Formula: see text]h and 3 h, respectively, by a conventional solid reaction method. The ceramic sintered for 2[Formula: see text]h showed a normal ferroelectric hysteresis loop and paramagnetic behavior, while the ceramic sintered for 3[Formula: see text]h showed a pinched ferroelectric hysteresis loop, weak ferromagnetism, and enhanced magnetoelectric coupling. The origins of the sintering time-related multiferroic properties are discussed in detail. The work offers a new way to induce multiferroicity in ceramics by tuning sintering time.