Investigation on structural, magnetic, dielectric and transport properties of xNi0.3Co0.2Zn0.5Fe2O4-(1-x)BaZr0.045Mn0.1Ti0.855O3 multiferroic composites

Abstract Structural, magnetic, dielectric and transport features was studied thoroughly in various xNi0.3Co0.2Zn0.5Fe₂O₄-(1-x)BaZr0.045Mn0.1Ti0.855O₃. Ferromagnetic and ferroelectric phases of the mentioned composition were achieved through conventional solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were used in the structural study, and Fourier transform infrared ray (FTIR) was used for additional study of the structure. XRD results revealed that composites have a biphasic spinel-perovskite structure. The microstructural characteristics of the samples under study were examined using images from field emission scanning electron microscopy. Magnetoelectrically coupled composites exhibit a clear change in lattice, magnetic, and dielectric characteristics with the variation of ferrite concentration. Magnetic studies reveal that increasing ferrite content reduces magnetic loss while improving initial permeability, relative quality factor, and magnetization. M-H hysteresis loop confirmed that all studied specimens retained their usual ferromagnetic properties. With an increase in ferrite content, the dielectric constant of the studied samples decreases except for the x = 0.20 composite. The highest dielectric response was obtained for x = 0.20, which might be a potential candidate for forthcoming multifunctional devices. AC conductivity investigation showed that the conduction mechanism fitted Jonscher's power law and was ascribed to tiny polaron hopping. The Nyquist plot was used to evaluate complex impedance, ensuring that grain and grain boundary resistance prevailed. These results expand our understanding of the structural, morphological, magnetic, dielectric, and transport characteristics of the studied samples, emphasizing their potential applications in advanced electronics and energy sector.