Simultaneously enhanced ferroelectric and magnetic properties of SrTiO3-modified Bi0.88Sm0.12FeO3 ceramics

In the present study, SrTiO₃ was selected to enhance the multiferroic characteristics of Bi_0.88Sm_0.12FeO₃ (BSF) ceramics. With increasing SrTiO₃ content, the principal phase of BSF ceramic transitions from rhombohedral R3c to Pna2₁. Through DSC and dielectric analysis, it was observed that both the Curie temperature and Néel temperature decreased proportionally with the augmentation of SrTiO₃ content. When x = .1, the optimal ferroelectric performance is achieved, and the highest remanent polarization value is 55.47 µC/cm², significantly surpassing that of BSF ceramics. Moreover, the PFM test results showed that as the substitution content increased, the domains in the BSF ceramic gradually transformed from normal ferroelectric domains to polar nanomicro-domains. Magnetic and magnetoelectric results show that when x = .1, the best magnetic properties are obtained, M_r = 59.7 emu/mol. The magnetoelectric coefficient α_ME initially increased and then decreased with the increasing SrTiO₃ content, reaching its optimum magnetoelectric properties at x = .1, where α_ME = .47 mV cm^–1 Oe^–1. In summary, when the substitution amount of SrTiO₃ reaches 10%, the ferroelectric, magnetic, and magnetoelectric properties of BSF ceramics are significantly improved.