A comparative study of dielectric, ferroelectric and magnetic properties of BiFeO3 multiferroic ceramics synthesized by conventional and spark plasma sintering techniques

BiFeO 3 ferrite ceramics were synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and conventional solid-state synthesis in conjunction with high-energy ball milling. They were evaluated by different characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and dielectric , ferroelectric and magnetic measurements. The 750   °C-SPS prepared ceramic samples possessed a single perovskite structure and they were compared with the conventionally synthesized ones. The relative density and average grain size were approximately 95% and <200   nm for the SPS-prepared samples, while they were about 89% and >300   nm for the conventionally prepared ones. In comparison with the conventionally synthesized ceramics, the SPS-prepared ones exhibited improved dielectric, ferroelectric and magnetic properties . These should be associated with high-density, fine-grained and uniform microstructure created by SPS in conjunction with high-energy ball milling, which could be a promising technique for fabricating high-quality BiFeO 3 multiferroic ceramics.