Effect of reduced size and Ba doping on multiferroic properties of BiFeO3 nanoparticles.

Multiferroic are the materials possessing more than one ferroic orders are the need of present technology. In this context pure and 20 % Ba doped-BiFeO3 nanoparticles have been synthesized by sol gel method. Effect of reduced size and Ba doping on multiferroic properties of BiFeO3 nanoparticles have been investigated. Structural study carried out using x-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals that pure BiFeO3 nanoparticles possess rhombohedral structure; but 20 % Ba doping in host BiFeO3 leads to structural distortion. Magnetic study confirms that the synthesized samples exhibit ferromagnetic behaviour, and the value of saturation magnetization, increased with doping of Ba. Electrical characterization carried out using polarization versus electric field loop (PE) and leakage current density versus applied electric field (JE) clearly confirms that doping of Ba reduced leakage and results in good ferroelectric material. Synthesized materials simultaneous exhibit ferromagnetic and ferroelectric behavior thereby confirms its multiferroic nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]