Structural, Optical and Magnetic Properties of (1−x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3+xBaCoO3−δ Solid Solution Systems Prepared by the Sol–Gel Method

Abstract

A new solid solution, (1−x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3+xBaCoO3−δ materials, was fabricated using the sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction showed that the crystal structure of the compound exhibited rhombohedral symmetry and is similar to the crystal structures of host Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 materials. Distortions in the structures and reduction in the optical band gaps of the Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 materials were possibly due to the random incorporation of Ba and Co cations into host lattice materials. The magnetic properties of the Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 materials were tuned by controlling the concentrations of BaCoO3−δ as the solid solution. We expect that our work will provide valuable information on current methods for integrating ferromagnetic properties into lead-free ferroelectric materials for the development of multiferroic materials.