Hollow BiFeO3nanoparticles were synthesized by an electrospray route for the first time. The phase purity and structure have been investigated by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Transmission and scanning electron microscope investigations revealed that the as-obtained BiFeO3 hollow spheres were polycrystalline, with a shell thickness of 35 nm. The formation mechanism can be possibly e...

We study the lattice dynamics of bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) rhombohedral ferroelectric (R3c) using first-principles density functional theory calculations and the direct force constant method. We determine the phonon dispersions, phonon density of states, and heat capacity. Special attention is paid to the heat capacity at low temperature, at which the present phonon calculations show significant...

BiFeO3 and PbTiO3 were introduced to a Sc-modified Pb(Fe2/3W1/3)O3 compound with strong cation order to improve the multiferroic properties. It is found that the degree of cation order decreases as the amount of BiFeO3 or PbTiO3 increases. As a result, the saturation magnetization deteriorates. Solid solutions with BiFeO3 show an increase in both ferroelectric and magnetic transition temperatur...

Switching dynamics of ferroelectric materials are governed by the response of domain walls to applied electric field. In epitaxial ferroelectric films, thermally-activated 'creep' motion plays a significant role in domain wall dynamics, and accordingly, detailed understanding of the system's switching properties requires that this creep motion be taken into account. Despite this importance, few...

First-principles calculations are performed to investigate the structures, electrical, and magnetic properties of compressive BiFeO3 films under electric-field and pressure perpendicular to the films. A reversible electric-field-induced strain up 10% is achieved in the compressive BiFeO3 films. The giant strain originates from rhombohedral-tetragonal (R-T) phase transition under electric-filed,...

Multiferroic La-doped BiFeO3 thin films have been prepared by a sol-gel plus spin-coating process, and the local magnetoelectric coupling effect has been investigated by the magnetic-field-assisted scanning probe microscopy connected with a ferroelectric analyzer. The local ferroelectric polarization response to external magnetic fields is observed and a so-called optimized magnetic field of ~4...

Unidirectional electric current flow, such as that found in a diode, is essential for modern electronics. It usually occurs at asymmetric interfaces such as p-n junctions or metal/semiconductor interfaces with Schottky barriers. We report on a diode effect associated with the direction of bulk electric polarization in BiFeO3: a ferroelectric with a small optical gap edge of approximately 2.2 el...

Recent neutron diffraction and NMR studies suggest that the incommensurately modulated spin cycloid structure of BiFeO3 is stable down to 4.2 K, whereas DC [M(T)] and AC [χ (ω, T)] magnetization, and caloric studies have revealed several magnetic transitions including a spin glass transition around 25 K. The two sets of observations are irreconcilable and to settle this, it is important to firs...

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) is difficult to pole because of the combination of its high coercive field and high electrical conductivity. This problem is particularly pronounced in thick films. The poling, however, must be performed to achieve a large macroscopic piezoelectric response. This study presents evidence of a prominent and reproducible self-poling effect in few-tens-of-micrometer-thick B...