Structural phase transition and multiferroic properties of single-phase Bi1-xErxFe0.95Co0.05O3

In this paper we report the structural, magnetic, and ferroelectric properties of Bi1−xErxFe0.95Co0.05O3 (x=0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15) samples prepared by the sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a phase transition from rhombohedral to orthorhombic structure with 15% Er doping. This structural phase transition resulted in the significantly improved magnetic properties (Ms=1.963emu/g at 70kOe). The leakage current decreases with the increasing Er concentration. And the most pronounced polarization hysteresis loops were observed at x=0.10, giving a high Pr of 18.5μC/cm2 (under about 7kV/cm). However, the ferroelectric properties dramatically decreased at x=0.15 due to the structural phase transition.