Multiferroic BiFeO3 enhanced Faraday rotation effect in magneto optical glasses

Abstract Single phase multiferroic BiFeO3 nanocrystals and BiFeO3 doped magneto optical BiFeO3–PbO–Bi2O3–B2O3 glasses have been synthesized and characterized in this study. Through the X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, UV–Vis optical absorption, Vicker's hardness and Verdet constant measurement, the glass structure and spectral were found to be modified by BiFeO3 nanocrystal, and Faraday rotation, absorption edge and mechanical performance of glasses were improved by such modification due to the low band gap, high polarization, ferromagnetic & superparamagnetic property of nanocrystal BiFeO3. Glass of 5%BiFeO3–40%PbO–50%Bi2O3–5%B2O3 exhibits a Verdet constant of 0.1615 min/G·cm at 633 nm, thermal stability of 105 °C and a 510 nm cutoff wavelength which is very attractive to magneto optical glass devices.