Structural, Magnetic, Optical and Electrical Properties of Ba Substituted BiFeO3

Ba2+ substituted bismuth ferrite (BFO) (Bi1−xBaxFeO3, x=0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) was prepared by chemical route using nitrates as a precursor, and sintered at 830 °C for 1 hr. The structural, optical, magnetic, and electrical properties of the prepared samples were investigated to understand the effect of Ba2+ substitution in BFO. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and shows an impurity phase which reduces drastically on substitution. Magnetic measurements were carried out at room temperature up to a field of 20 kOe. Magnetic hysteresis loops revealed a significant change in magnetization on Ba2+ substitution in BFO with unsaturated nature. Further, the Fourier transformed Infrared (FTIR) and Ultra Violet Visible (U-V Vis) spectra of the samples at room temperature shows as a change in spectral behavior on substitution. The AC electrical conductivity analyzed through Impedance analyser at different temperatures and frequencies. The ac conductivity and its activation energies for the samples are found to be frequency and temperature dependent and also vary with Ba2+ substitution in BFO.