Effect of equiproprotional substitution of Zn and Mn in BaTiO3 ceramic-An index to multiferroic applications

This paper reports that ferromagnetism (FM) can be induced in ferroelectric barium titanate (BaTiO3) ceramic with selection of appropriate substituents like Zn and Mn. High density polycrystalline samples of Zn and Mn substituted BaTiO3 (Ba-1. xZnxTi1-xMnxO3, x=0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1) were prepared using slow step solid state sintering technique to study the effect of equiproprotional substituents on structural, ferroelectric and magnetic properties of BaTiO3 (BTO). High precision electrical and magnetic measurements were carried out along with XRD, XPS, and SEM to understand and co-relate magnetic and ferroelectric hysteresis loop observed at room temperature with different values of 'x'. It is seen that ferroelectric hysteresis loop (P similar to E) is deteriorated (became lossy type) with the increase of Zn and Mn concentration. However, at x=0.1, the material showed the signature of room temperature ferromagnetism, which is an index for BTO to became a promising material for multiferroic applications. M similar to H loops observed in Zn and Mn substituted BTO are expected to be due to the formation of oxygen vacancies and exchange interaction induced magnetism.