Structural and dielectric properties of pure and Dy3+ substituted BiFeO3 particles synthesized by auto-combustion method

The rare earth Dy3+ substituted BiFeO3 (BFO) nanoparticles with general formula Bi1-xDyxFeO3 were successfully synthesized by glycine assisted auto-combustion route. X-ray diffraction confirms the phase transformation from rhombohedral lattice symmetry to orthorhombic lattice symmetry for x <= 10 mol. %. Lattice constant was calculated by using the rhombohedral (hexagonal) formula. The dielectric constant of pure BFO is found to increase while the dielectric loss decreases due to Dy3+ substitution which are attributed to the reduction in oxygen vacancies. Composition with x = 25 mol. % exhibits high resistivity and low dielectric loss which will be suitable for high resonant circuits.