Strain analysis of multiferroic BiFeO3-CoFe2O4 nanostructures by Raman scattering

TL;DR

This study uses Raman scattering to analyze strain distributions in multiferroic BiFeO3-CoFe2O4 nanostructures, revealing how composition affects strain states in pillars and matrix within complex 3D composites.

Contribution

It demonstrates the feasibility of using Raman scattering for detailed strain analysis in complex multiferroic nanostructures with varying compositions.

Findings

CFO matrix exhibits consistent strain in different nanostructures

BFO pillars show increasing tensile strain with decreasing BFO content

Raman scattering effectively monitors strain in 3D multiferroic composites

Abstract

We report a Raman scattering investigation of columnar BiFeO3-CoFe2O4 (BFO-CFO) epitaxial thin film nanostructures, where BFO pillars are embedded in a CFO matrix. The feasibility of a strain analysis is illustrated through an investigation of two nanostructures with different BFO-CFO ratios. We show that the CFO matrix presents the same strain state in both nanostructures, while the strain state of the BFO pillars depends on the BFO/CFO ratio with an increasing tensile strain along the out-of-plane direction with decreasing BFO content. Our results demonstrate that Raman scattering allows monitoring strain states in complex 3D multiferroic pillar/matrix composites.