Room temperature multiferroicity with enhanced ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties in Ba0.75Pb0.25Ti1-xFexO3

Polycrystalline Ba0.75Pb0.25Ti1-xFexO3 (0 <= x <= 0.148) (BPTF) ceramics have been synthesized by sol-gel auto combustion method. The structural, vibrational, electrical, and magnetic properties have been investigated. A detailed structural and vibrational analysis confirms the tetragonal phase in all samples. The proportion of a hexagonal phase increases with increasing Fe-doping. An elemental and morphological investigation reveals the presence of these two different phases. A relaxor-type phase transition is observed in high Fe-doped samples. These samples reveal a high dielectric constant for a wide temperature range. A tetragonal to the cubic phase transition is observed, and the transition temperature, T-m, decreases with increasing Fe concentration. However, T-m remains well above room temperature, ensuring the ferroelectric nature of all samples at room temperature. The ferroelectric nature of all the samples was confirmed from the presence of room-temperature P-E hysteresis loops. Simultaneously, an increase in ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature was confirmed from the presence of a notable ferromagnetic loop for higher doped samples. Hence, the presence of both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic components at room temperature ensures a multiferroic nature in the Fe-doped Ba0.75Pb0.25TiO3 system. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.