Tailoring the morphology and size of perovskite BiFeO3 nanostructures for enhanced magnetic and electrical properties

• Published in: Materials & design 2020-07, Vol.192, p.108694, Article 108694
• Main Authors: Remya, K.P., Prabhu, D., Joseyphus, R. Justin, Bose, A. Chandra, Viswanathan, C., Ponpandian, N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ferromagnetic; Morphology; Multiferroics; Perovskite
• ISSN: 0264-1275; 1873-4197
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2020.108694

Multiferroics with desirable properties are motivated to perceive the potential applications which can be effectively produced by controlling their microstructure. A detailed study has been carried out for the significance of morphology on the physical and chemical properties of perovskite nanostructures considering bismuth ferrite as the model system. Structure and phase identification performed with X-ray powder diffraction confirms the formation of single phase rhombohedral BiFeO3 for all the nanostructures. The microstructural-evolution of the nanostructures under various synthesize conditions have been identified to be flakes, cubes, rods, and flowers, from scanning electron microscopic images. These nanostructures with different morphologies and sizes exhibit ferromagnetic behavior confirmed using vibrating sample magnetometry. The observed room temperature electrical properties were correlated with their microstructures and the activation energy estimated from the impedance data is found to be high for BiFeO3 nanorods having 1.20 eV, which seems to have better performance than the other morphologies. The excellent union of magnetic and electrical properties of nanostructured BiFeO3 provides new possibilities of its use in device applications. [Display omitted] •Phasepure & morphologically tuned perovskite BFO nanostructures, with four various shapes are successfully synthesized.•A comprehensive understanding of the effect of size & shape on physico-chemical properties of BFO nanostructures is given.•Observed ferromagnetism in BiFeO3 nanostructures is by the destruction of spin cycloid resulting from small size.•Morphology play keyrole in determining BFO's electrical properties, with rods showing the max. conductivity~2.07x10-5Scm-1.