Structure and some magnetic properties of (BiFeO₃)_x-(BaTiO₃)_1−x solid solutions prepared by solid-state sintering

This paper presents the results of the study on structure and magnetic properties of the perovskite-type (BiFeO₃)_x-(BaTiO₃)_1−x solid solutions. The samples differing in the chemical composition (x = 0.9, 0.8, and 0.7) were produced according to the conventional solid-state sintering method from the mixture of powders. Moreover, three different variants of the fabrication process differing in the temperatures and soaking time were applied. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) were collected and compared for the set of the investigated materials. The structural transformation from rhombohedral to cubic symmetry was observed for the samples with x = 0.7. With increasing of BaTiO₃ concentration Mössbauer spectra become broadened reflecting various configurations of atoms around ⁵⁷Fe probes. Moreover, gradual decreasing of the average hyperfine magnetic field and macroscopic magnetization were observed with x decreasing.