The effect of Cr substitution for Fe on the structure and magnetic properties of BiFeO3 multiferroic

ABSTRACTX-ray diffraction and Мossbauer studies of perovskite BiFe1-xCrxO3 solid solution ceramics fabricated under high pressure (4–6 GPa) have been carried out. Two morphotropic phase boundaries were revealed: one between rhombohedral (R3c) and orthorhombic (Pbam) phases at x ≈ 0.5–0.6 and the other between the orthorhombic (Pbam) and monoclinic (C2/c) phases at x ≈ 0.9. It was found out that substitution of Cr3+ for Fe3+ does not lead to the appearance of a low-spin state of Fe3+ ions, as was predicted by some first-principles calculations. At x ≈ 0.1 a destruction of the space spin-modilated cycloid structure seems to occur.