The structural and multiferroic properties of (Bi1-xLax)(Fe0.95Co0.05)O3 ceramics

La and Co co-doped BiFeO3 ((Bi1-xLax)(Fe0.95Co0.05)O-3 (x=0, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30)) ceramics were prepared by tartaric acid modified sol-gel method. The X-ray diffraction patterns indicate a transition from rhombohedral structure to tetragonal structure at x=0.20, which has been confirmed by the Raman measurements. The band gap increases with increasing x to 0.20, and then decreases with further increasing x to 0.30. The structural transition has significant effects on the multiferroic properties. The remnant magnetization and saturate ferromagnetic magnetization decrease abruptly with increasing x to 0.10, and then gradually increase with further increasing x up to 0.30. The coercivity is significantly reduced with increasing La doping concentration. The ferroelectricity has been improved by La doping, and the polarization increases with increasing x to 0.10, then decreases with further increasing x up to 0.30. The simultaneous coexistence of soft ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity at room temperature in tetragonal Bi0.70La0.30Fe0.95Co0.05O3 indicates the potential multiferroic applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.