Effect of equiproprotional substitution of Zn and Mn in BaTiO_(3)ceramic-An index to multiferroic applications

This paper reports that ferromagnetism(FM)can be induced in ferroelectric barium titanate(BaTiO_(3))ceramic with selection of appropriate substituents like Zn and Mn.High density polycrystalline samples of Zn and Mn substituted BaTiO_(3)(Ba_(1-x)Zn_(x)Ti_(1-x)Mn_(x)O_(3),x=0,0.02,0.04,0.06,0.08 and 0.1)were prepared using slow step solid state sintering technique to study the effect of equiproprotional substituents on structural,ferroelectric and magnetic properties of BaTiO_(3)(BTO).High precision electrical and magnetic measurements were carried out along with XRD,XPS,and SEM to understand and co-relate magnetic and ferroelectric hysteresis loop observed at room temperature with different values of‘x’.It is seen that ferroelectric hysteresis loop(P~E)is deteriorated(became lossy type)with the increase of Zn and Mn concentration.However,at x=0.1,the material showed the signature of room temperature ferromagnetism,which is an index for BTO to became a promising material for multiferroic applications.M~H loops observed in Zn and Mn substituted BTO are expected to be due to the formation of oxygen vacancies and exchange interaction induced magnetism.