Enhanced magnetic and magnetoelectric properties of In and Co codoped BiFeO3 nanoparticles at room temperature

Bi1−x In x Fe1−y Co y O3 (0 ≤ x ≤0.1, 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.05) nanoparticles have been successively synthesized by low temperature ethylene glycol based solution combustion method. The XRD patterns reveal the single phase rhombohedral distorted perovskite structure for pure BiFeO3 (BFO), and In doped BFO sample which is further confirmed from FTIR spectra. The co-doping of In and Co at A–B-sites of BFO results in structural distortion, improves the particles surface morphology in term of porosity, homogeneity, and density with further reduction of grain sizes. The TEM images also confirm the reduction, the average particle size showing particles size of 52 nm for BFO to around 12 nm for codoped BFO sample. All samples show ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature which further improves upon codoping with maximum saturation magnetization of 6.30 emu/gm. The codoping further follows a direct correspondence among lowering of Neel transition temperature (T N ~ 240 °C), improvement in resistive behavior and enhancement of magnetoelectric effect (α ~ 4.92 mV/cmOe) at room temperature. The possible origin of improvement in these properties has been explained on the basis of size effect and nature of the dopants.