A multiferroic ceramic with perovskite structure: (La0.5Bi0.5)(Mn0.5Fe0.5)O3.09

An ABO3 perovskite multiferroic, where the B-site cation is responsible for the magnetic properties and the A-site cation with lone pair electron is responsible for the ferroelectric properties, was synthesized with the composition (La0.5Bi0.5)(Mn0.5Fe0.5)O3.09 at normal conditions. This oxide exhibits a ferromagnetic transition around 240 K with a well defined hysteresis loop, and a significant reversible remnant polarization below 67 K similar to ferroelectric behavior. The magnetic interaction is interpreted by the ferromagnetic Fe3+–O–Mn3+ and antiferromagnetic Fe3+(Mn3+)–O–Fe3+(Mn3+) interactions competed with each other, whereas the ferroelectricity is predominantly due to the polar nature introduced by the 6 s2 lone pair of Bi3+ cations.