Multiferroic properties of BiFeO3 modulate with spark plasma sintering temperatures

Room temperature multiferroic properties, such as antiferromagnetism concurrent with ferroelectricity in Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO3), have triggered numerous investigations in its preparation and characterization. In this article, we report the modulation of multiferroic properties of high-density BiFeO3 (BFO) ceramics sintered at temperatures between 625 degrees C and 825 degrees C using Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). The highest density was obtained in samples sintered at 750 degrees C. XRD spectrum indicated that BiFeO3 (BFO) sintered at 625 to 825 degrees C exhibited an R3c phase. Structural impurities as well as remanent and saturation magnetizations and coercive fields were unaffected in samples sintered at temperatures up to 750 degrees C, after both impurities and magnetizations increased while coercivity decreased beyond this temperature. During which a sharp increase was noted, reaching maximum values of approximately 0.05 emu/g for remanent magnetization and 1.37 emu/g for saturation magnetization. Additionally, BFO-750 exhibited higher remanent (Pr) and saturation (PS) polarization, while BFO-800 showed an enhanced piezoelectric coefficient of approximately 6.32 pCN-1 compared to other samples.