Room temperature polarization in the ferrimagnetic Ga2-xFexO3 ceramics

TL;DR

This study investigates how varying Fe-Ga ratios in Ga2-xFexO3 ceramics affects their magnetic and electric properties, revealing compositions with coexisting ferrimagnetism and polarization at room temperature, including a record electric ordering temperature.

Contribution

It provides a phase diagram and identifies compositions with room-temperature multiferroic behavior, highlighting the coexistence of magnetic and electric orders in Ga2-xFexO3 ceramics.

Findings

Electric polarization persists above room temperature for x=1.1.

The electric ordering temperature reaches approximately 580K.

Certain compositions exhibit coexisting ferrimagnetism and electric polarization at room temperature.

Abstract

The effect of the Fe-Ga ratio on the magnetic and electric properties of the multiferroic Ga2-xFexO3 compound has been studied in order to determine the composition range exhibiting magnetic and electric orders coexistence and their critical temperatures. A magnetoelectric phase diagram, showing the evolution of both the Neel magnetic ordering temperature and the electric ordering temperature, versus the iron content has been established for x values between 0.9 and 1.4. While the ferrimagnetic Neel temperature increases with the iron content, the electric ordering temperature shows an opposite trend. The electric polarization has been found to exist far above room temperature for the x value of 1.1 composition which shows the highest observed electric ordering temperature of approx. 580K. The compounds with x values of 1.3 and 1.4 are ferrimagnetic-electric relaxors with both properties coexisting at room temperature.