Enhanced ferromagnetic properties of multiferroic BiCoxFe1-xO3 synthesized by hydrothermal method

The BiCoxFe1-xO3 samples have been successfully synthesized by hydrothermal process. The resulting products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDS), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and physical property measurement system (PPMS). It was found that the magnetization of the obtained products was greatly enhanced by Co substituting for Fe ions. Furthermore, the value of magnetism of BiCoxFe1-xO3 samples can be adjusted by Fe doping concentration. DTA curve indicates the ferroelectric properties of the obtained BCFO samples are not affected by Co substitution. Therefore, it would be interesting to realize thin films with similar compositions and study their properties in the interest of device applications. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.