We have investigated the origin of superstructure peaks as observed by X-ray diffraction of multiferroic Bi(Fe0.5Cr0.5)O3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on single crystal SrTiO3 substrates. The photon energy dependence of the contrast between the atomic scattering factors of Fe and Cr is used to rule out a chemically ordered double perovskite Bi2FeCrO6 (BFCO). Structural calculations suggest that the experimentally observed superstructure occurs due to unequal cation displacements along the pseudo-cubic [111] direction that mimic the unit cell of the chemically ordered compound. This result helps to clarify discrepancies in the correlations of structural and magnetic order reported for Bi2FeCrO6. The observation of a superstructure in itself is not a sufficient proof of chemical order in double perovskites.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.