Electric and magnetic properties of 0.9PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3-0.1CoR0.02Fe1.98O4 (R=Sm, Y, and Pr) multiferroic composites

We have investigated the dielectric, ferroelectric and magnetic properties of 0.9PbZr(0.52)Ti(0.48)O(3)-0.1CoR(0.02)Fe(1.98)O(4) (R = Sm, Y, and Pr) multiferroic composites. The PZT and rare-earth doped CFO powders were synthesized separately by sol-gel auto-combustion technique. The multiferroic composites were then synthesized by mixing the appropriate amount of individual phases using the conventional solid-state technique method. The powder X-ray diffraction technique showed that the PZT retains its tetragonal perovskite structure, while as rare-earth doped CFO possesses cubic spinel structure. Frequency and temperature dependent dielectric investigations of the multiferroic composites showed that in the lower frequency range, both epsilon ' and tan delta decrease with increasing frequency but remain almost constant at higher frequencies, indicating normal dispersion behavior. The dielectric constant in the temperature range of 293-800 K clearly shows the ferroelectric phase transition corresponding to the PZT phase. All composites showed well M-H and P-E hysteresis loops, confirming their ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties. The presence of rare-earth element in the ferrite phase of the composites results in change of magnetic and ferroelectric characteristics, thus showing that these properties can be tailored by doping rare-earth elements.