Magnetic glass–ceramics containing multiferroic BiFeO3 crystals

•Phase equilibrium and glass formation region in the Bi–Fe–B–O system (0–50 mol % B2O3) have been investigated.•The BiFeO3 glass ceramic synthesis conditions were optimized.•The anisotropic samples consist of irregular layers of the parallel growing dendroids.•The ceramic morphology and the crystallinity degree define the magnetic properties of the samples.

A new composite material consisting of BiFeO3 crystallites inside a nonmagnetic glass-like matrix has been synthesized using the glass crystallization method. The phase equilibrium and glass formation region of the Bi2O3–Fe2O3–B2O3 system (0–50 mol % B2O3) have been investigated. The optimal compositions for glass–ceramic synthesis are within the 25–85 mol % BiFeO3 range on the Bi4B2O9–BiFeO3 section. The obtained ceramics were studied by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, microscopic and magnetic methods. It was shown that the BiFeO3 crystallites grow according to a dendrite mechanism resulting in anisotropic glass–ceramic. Magnetic properties of the synthesized samples depend upon their morphology and crystallinity.

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