Inspection of multiferroicity in BiMn(2-x)Ti(x)O(5) ceramics through specific heat and Raman spectroscopic studies

J Phys Condens Matter. 2010 Dec 8;22(48):485901. doi: 10.1088/0953-8984/22/48/485901. Epub 2010 Nov 16.

Abstract

Inspection of multiferroicity in BiMn(2 - x)Ti(x)O(5) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.30) (BMTO) ceramics is performed through specific heat and Raman spectroscopic studies. Thermal variation of specific heat (C) (in the absence and presence of fixed magnetic fields up to 14 T) and Raman spectra of BMTO are presented. In the temperature variation of C, a remarkable anomaly at the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering temperature (T(N) ∼ 39 K) is observed in all samples. Pure BiMn(2)O(5) (for x = 0.0) exhibits a larger specific heat anomaly at T(N) compared to that of Ti substituted samples, both in the presence and absence of external magnetic fields. The excess specific heat (ΔC) versus T clearly illustrates appreciable anomalies at ∼ 86 and ∼ 120 K in Ti doped samples related to the magnetic and dielectric transitions, respectively. The low temperature specific heat (LTSH) data indicate a considerably improved ferromagnetic contribution in samples with higher Ti concentration (x > 0.15). The Raman spectra of the doped samples at different fixed temperatures validate the strong electron-phonon coupling corresponding to the observed magnetism and increased harmonicity at dielectric transitions.