Microstructural characterizations of ferroelectromagnet lead iron niobate crystals

Lead iron niobate Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 (PFN) is one of intensively studied perovskite ferroelectromagnets (FEMs) with the coexistence of ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic orderings. Single crystals of PFN are grown from high temperature solution with PbO as flux. The nano-scale domain pattern of the crystal and its dielectric constant is measured using scanning tip near-field microwave microscope (STMNM). The observed nano-scale periodic profiles of the dielectric constant indicate the possible coexistence of ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic domains. Mössbauer studies reveal the roles of iron ions of various valances and the energy-band structure. The underlined physics is discussed.