Structure and multiferroic properties of Bi(1-x)DyxFe0.90Mg0.05Ti0.05O3 solid solution.

Chemical modification is proven to be an effective way to improve the properties of perovskite BiFeO3 (BFO). In this paper, we studied the effects of the A-site Dy3+ ion substitution on the structure and multiferroic properties of BFO in which the Fe3+ ion on the B-site is partially co-substituted for by Mg2+ and Ti4+ ions. The solid solution compounds of Bi(1-x)DyxFe0.90Mg0.05Ti0.05O3 (x = 0 - 1) were synthesized by a tartaric acid-assisted solution process, followed by thermal treatments at 850 °C. The structural transition and the ferroelectric and magnetic properties as a function of composition were investigated. It is found that the structure transforms from a rhombohedral (R3c) to an orthorhombic phase (Pn21a) when x is increased to ≥ 0.15. The ferroelectric measurements indicate that the sample with x = 0.15 possesses the best ferroelectric property, and the remnant polarization of the samples with orthorhombic symmetry decreases with the increase of Dy3+ concentration. The compounds of Bi(1-x)DyxFe0.90Mg0.05Ti0.05O3 (x = 0.05 - 1.00) exhibit weakly ferromagnetic properties at low temperatures, but antiferromagnetic behavior at high temperatures. The magnetization of the solid solution increases linearly with the increase of the Dy3+ amount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]