Magnetoelectric phase diagram and magnetic field-induced reversal of electric polarization in Ba0.5Sr1.5Mg1.6Co0.4Fe12O22 single crystal

Abstract Multiferroic Y-type hexaferrites are single-phase compounds in which the electric polarization (P) is induced by a low magnetic field (H). In this study, Y-type hexaferrite Ba0.5Sr1.5Mg1.6Co0.4Fe12O22 single crystal was synthesized using Na2CO3-Fe2O3 flux. Their structural, magnetic, and magnetoelectric properties were investigated. The different transition temperatures between the H ⊥ c and H//c configurations showed that the direction of the applied H was important for the spin configurations. The M-H loops exhibited that the field-induced transitions could occur at room temperature (RT). A first-order magnetic phase transition around 250 K was unveiled from the Arrott plots. The P was non-zero at zero H below 50 K. By studying the magnetic field dependence of the dielectric properties at selected temperatures, a magnetoelectric phase diagram exhibiting the evolution of the spin-induced ferroelectric order with the Hab and temperature (T) was revealed. The magnetoelectric phase diagram showed that the polarization was reversed by the magnetic fields below 150 K where the H-induced ferroelectric order was maintained in a zero magnetic field.