Structure, magnetic and ferroelectric properties of Sm and Sc doped BiFeO3 polycrystalline ceramics

The polycrystalline Bi1-xSmxFe0.97Sc0.03O3 (x = 0.08, 0.12) ceramics have been synthesized using a modified solid-state reaction method. The Bi-0.92Sm0.08Fe0.97Sc0.03O3 ceramic possesses single polar rhombohedral R3c phase, while a polar rhombohedral R3c and an anti-polar orthorhombic Pbam phases coexist in the Bi0.88Sm0.12Fe0.97SC0.03O3 ceramic. The density and the grain uniformity of all the doped ceramics get improved. Further, the addition of Sm and Sc has resulted in significant improvement in ferroelectric characteristics. In addition to this, it also releases the latent magnetization by suppressing the spiral spin structure. The well-defined polarization along the field direction is confirmed by the saturated hysteresis phase loops from 180 degrees domains by piezoresponse force microscopy. The anti-polar Pbam phase experiences a visually electric field induced phase transition to polar R3c phase in the Bi0.88Sm0.12Fe0.97Sc0.03O3 ceramic. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.