PROCESSING AND FERROELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF Ti-DOPED BiFeO₃ CERAMICS

ABSTRACT

To improve the ferroelectric properties in BiFeO₃, the effects of ion doping have been investigated. Currently, rare earth element substituted bismuth ferrites have attracted much attention for potential memory material. However, BFO materials are known to suffer from low resistivity and high leakage current. Particular dopants change the ferroelectric and electrical properties depending on the ionic charge and radius. In this work, Bi_1.05Ti_0.1Fe_0.9O₃ ceramics were prepared by conventional solid state reaction. The sintering temperatures have been varied from 800 to 860°C in order to investigate the phase determination. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study was carried out to find out grain size and morphology. The density and electric properties were evaluated. By introducing a small of Ti ions, large enhancement in both remnant and saturation polarizations of the doped-BiFeO₃ was observed.

Keywords:

• BFO ceramic
• microstructure
• sintering
• ferroelectric

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work is supported by the Key program of National Nature Science Foundation of China, No. 90407023. The authors sincerely thank analytical and testing center, Huazhong University of Science and Technology for assistance in XRD and SEM.