The effective role of diamagnetic Pb ions in tailoring the magnetic and dielectric properties of BiFeO3 nanomultiferroic

The potential applications of multiferroics render them a prominent research topic as well as attractive material for many applications especially for spintronics. In this context trials to enhance the properties of these multiferroic are running either by size miniaturization or doping. Herein, flash combustion technique was employed to prepare Bi1-xPbxFeO3; (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.08) (BPbFO) nanomultiferroic in single phase. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results illustrated a rhombohedral distorted hexagonal perovskite adopting the space group R3c. The microstructure was observed using transmission electron microscope which confirmed the platelet shape nature of the samples. Magnetic studies were carried out and the results revealed improved coercivity with increasing the Pb content. Electrical hysteresis loops (P-E) indicated the ferroelectric features of the Pb2+ substituted BFO multiferroic at room temperature. Thermal behaviour of the dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac conductivity measurements shows peak around 750 K that corresponds to the transition from antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase at the Neel temperature. The multiferroic, Bi0.96Pb0.04FeO3, introduce the highest dielectric constant, lowest loss and moderate conductivity confirming the substitution of Pb can tailor the properties of the pristine BiFeO3 multiferroic and be a suitable candidate for diverse applications.