Room temperature magnetoelectric coupling and relaxor-like multiferroic nature in a biphase of cubic pyrochlore and spinel

Abstract

The search for multiferroic order in a single phase of bismuth pyrochlore has been unsuccessful so far. In this direction, our study unveiled the capability of a biphase of bismuth pyrochlore and spinel in hosting a multiferroic order at room temperature. A complex oxide biphase of cubic pyrochlore and cubic spinel crystals acquired in the Bi2O3-Nb2O5-2MnCO3-Fe2O3 system revealed the crystals of a spinel phase (Fe1.59(3)Mn1.39(3)O4.26(7)) intergrown in the dense pyrochlore (Bi1.35(1)Fe0.64(1)Nb1.26(1)Mn0.75(1)O6.39(5)) matrix. The average composition of the components of the investigated biphase was determined using an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The structural features indicated the presence of large ionic displacements within the cubic pyrochlore phase as seen from the appearance of 442 reflection in the X-ray diffraction pattern and infrared active mode at ∼64 cm−1 in the Raman spectrum recorded at room temperature. The pyrochlore single-phase composition (Bi1.35(1)Fe0.64(1)Nb1.26(1)Mn0.75(1)O6.39(5)), as suggested from a thorough EPMA microstructural analysis, exhibited broad dielectric relaxation and an overall paramagnetic behavior. The observation of disordered superparamagnetism as well as dielectric relaxation in the biphase conformed to that of a relaxorlike multiferroic behavior at room temperature. Moreover, self-biased magnetoelectric voltage coefficients of 0.60 mV/cm Oe at 100 Hz and 5.54 mV/cm Oe at 1 kHz were detected between magnetization and electric polarization at room temperature. Therefore, the composite of such a pyrochlore and spinel with an inherent property of strong spin–orbit and spin–lattice coupling will be interesting from theoretical and experimental point of view in the arena of magnetoelectrics.

Ice Bath Assisted BiMn2O5(Mullite) Phase Synthesis, Structural and Compositional Analysis under Different Bi Concentration

“…In particular, the ferroelectric properties can be varied or tuned by applying a magnetic field or electric field that can change the magnetic properties as well as electrical properties indicating the existence of an effective magneto coupling phenomena. [1][2][3] There are many group of multiferroic materials with different structural orders including perovskite (ABO 3 ), 4 pyrochlore (A 2 B 2 O 7 ) 5 and RMn 2 O 5 , 6 of which many of these materials have excellent multifunctional properties that are being used for various applications including transformers, magnetic sensors, memory and storage technology, capacitors, etc. Among these, RMn 2 O 5 (R 3+ Mn 3+ Mn 4+ O 5 2−…”