Stabilisation of Fe2O3-rich Perovskite Nanophase in Epitaxial Rare-earth Doped BiFeO3 Films.
Researchers have demonstrated that BiFeO3 exhibits ferroelectric hysteresis but none have shown a strong ferromagnetic response in either bulk or thin film without significant structural or compositional modification. When remanent magnetisations are observed in BiFeO3 based thin films, iron oxide second phases are often detected. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, atomic resolution electron energy loss spectrum-mapping and quantitative energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, we reveal the existence of a new Fe2O3-rich perovskite nanophase, with an approximate formula (Fe0.6Bi0.25Nd0.15)(3+) Fe(3+)O3, formed within epitaxial Ti and Nd doped BiFeO3 perovskite films grown by pulsed laser deposition. The incorporation of Nd and Bi ions on the A-site and coherent growth with the matrix stabilise the Fe2O3-rich perovskite phase and preliminary density functional theory calculations suggest that it should have a ferrimagnetic response. Perovskite-structured Fe2O3 has been reported previously but never conclusively proven when fabricated at high-pressure high-temperature. This work suggests the incorporation of large A-site species may help stabilise perovskite-structured Fe2O3. This finding is therefore significant not only to the thin film but also to the high-pressure community.
Department of Materials Science &Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
Huairuo
H
Zhang
Department of Materials Science &Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
Ian M
IM
Reaney
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Daniel M
DM
Marincel
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Susan
S
Trolier-McKinstry
SuperSTEM Laboratory, STFC Daresbury Campus, Daresbury WA4 4AD, UK.
Quentin M
QM
Ramasse
School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
Ian
I
MacLaren
School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
Scott D
SD
Findlay
Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Robert D
RD
Fraleigh
Kroto Centre for High Resolution Imaging &Analysis, Department of Electronic and Electric Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
Ian M
IM
Ross
Department of Physics, International Center for Quantum and Molecular Structures, and Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
Shunbo
S
Hu
Department of Physics, International Center for Quantum and Molecular Structures, and Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
Wei
W
Ren
Department of Materials Science &Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK.
W Mark
WM
Rainforth