Synthesis and Characterization of Cr3+ doped BiFe1-xCrxO3 Multiferroic Ceramics

Abstract

The main purpose of this work is to evaluate the multiferroic properties of cerium-doped bismuth ferrite BiFe_1-xCr_xO₃ (x = 0.0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.10, 0.20, and 0.30) at the sintering temperature of 750^oC. The Cr-dopped bismuth ferrite was synthesized by the conventional solid reaction method. XRD technique was used to analyse the phase structure for calcined powders, and the rhombohedral phase was observed in pure BiFe_1-xCr_xO₃. Furthermore, XRD results showed a single-phase (BFOCr) ceramic with all concentrations. The confirmation of FTIR results also revealed the single-phase structure of the prepared material. In order to better understand the thermal breakdown characteristics of the calcinated powder and the distribution of pure and Cr-doped BiFeO3 phases, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were performed. The dielectric properties of all samples were investigated; the dielectric constant was decreased with increasing frequency for samples 3%, 5% and 7% at room temperature. However, the samples 1%, 10%, 20% and 30% materials exhibited small changes with the relative permittivity and frequency. The proposed ceramic materials may be used for high-frequency devices.