Influence of (La, Cu) Doping on the Room Temperature Multiferroic Properties of BiFeO Ceramics.

A series of BiLaFeCuO ( x = 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05) ceramics were synthesized by sol-gel method. The prepared ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and dielectric measurement. XRD patterns reveal that BiLaFeCuO ( x = 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05) ceramics crystallize in single-phase rhombohedral structure with R3c space group without distortion, and the average crystallite size was in the range of 31-92 nm. VSM exhibited a weak ferromagnetism for La- and Cu-co-doped BiFeO ceramics. The squareness ratio of the hysteresis loop decreases as La concentration increases in BiLaFeCuO. However, these materials show improved dielectric properties compared to undoped BiFeO ceramic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]