Structural, magnetic and optical properties of mulitiferroic (BiFeO3)1−x(BaTiO3)x solid solutions

Binary multiferroic (BiFeO3)1−x(BaTiO3)x [x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5] solid solutions were synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction method. A good crystalline phase has been optimized at the sintering temperature of 960 °C for 2 h. A single rhombohedral phase was found up to 70 mol% of BiFeO3. The morphotropic phase boundary was found just above x = 0.3, and finally it transformed into a cubic structure. The M-H curve revealed BiFeO3 (BFO) as an antiferromanetic material, whereas; induced weak ferromagnetism was observed for (BiFeO3)1−x(BaTiO3)x ceramic with different compositions at room temperature. The results are evidence for destruction of a space-modulated spin structure in bulk materials, via substituent effects, releasing a latent magnetization locked within the cycloid. The calculated values of the direct band gap of the (BiFeO3)1−x(BaTiO3)x ceramics were found to be 2.72, 2.75, 2.80 and 2.85 eV for x = 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, respectively.