Structural properties and incommensurate magnetic order in BiFeO₃-PbTiO₃ solid solutions

Abstract

The perovskite BiFeO 3 has received considerable attention over decades due to its unique combination of ferroelectric and magnetic properties at room temperature. Recently it has been reported that linear magnetoelectric coupling in BiFeO 3 can be realized by artificially introduced disorder like in solid solutions, where PbTiO 3 substitution causes an antiferromagnetic (AFM) M-H loop. Details of the magnetic and structural order obtained by joint studies using monochromatic high-resolution neutron powder diffraction (NPD) and ultra-high resolution TOF NPD on (1−x)BiFeO 3 -xPbTiO 3 solid solutions (x =0−0.3) have been determined.