Different dopant strategies are currently under investigation in order to overcome the many problems that limit the commercial viability of BiFeO 3-based ceramic devices. Neodymium substitution onto the A site of the perovskite lattice provokes significant changes in the crystal structure of the parent material which can derive in enhanced multiferroic properties, but the conductivity in the bulk system is still too high. Titanium doping on the other hand generates a distinctive micro-nanostructure in the consolidated ceramics which can largely increase the dc resistivity of the whole material. A combination of these two effects is here attempted in a co-doping approach which evidences that the microstructural effect caused upon Ti-doping, provoking a reduction of the leakage currents, eventually allows the co-doped material to capitalize on the unique piezoelectric and magnetic properties structurally triggered by the Nddoping.
In the search of multiferroic materials with enhanced magnetoelectric response, the BiFeO 3 -Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 composite system has been proposed as a promising candidate. However, in order to ensure an effective coupling between the antiferromagnetic and the ferroelectric order parameters, a high structural quality of the oxide heterostructure (well-matched interface) must be attained. This implies the absence of any interdiffusion process across the interface during the consolidation of the composite assembly. In this contribution we have analysed the different diffusion scenarios that could be established in this nominal BiFeO 3 -Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 system as a function of the specific reactivity of the involved compounds. The obtained results clearly identify how and when that diffusion is produced, so now it can be controlled to ensure the maximum exploitation of the potential multiferroic properties of this candidate system.
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