Modified multiferroic behavior: A case study of NdFeO3-SrTiO3 composite

The polycrystalline NdFeO3 (NFO), SrTiO3 (STO) and NFO-STO composite systems were synthesized by modified solid-state reaction route. Rietveld refinement fitting of x-ray diffraction data confirmed the phase purity and crystal structure of the materials. The structure of NFO and STO were found in orthorhombic and cubic phases with Pbnm and Pm-3m space groups respectively. Surface morphology and elemental compositions of the prepared ceramics were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Room temperature M-H loops were measured for ±2 T magnetic field. Ferroelectric loops for NFO-STO composite system reveal the drastic enhancement in maximum polarization (Pmax=7.9µC/cm2) at 25kV field and show the switchable polarization behavior.