Mariusz Mazurek

Structure and hyperfine interactions in multiferroic Aurivillius Bim+1Ti3Fem−3O3m+3 compounds prepared by mechanical activation

The aim of the study was to determine the structure and hyperfine interactions of Bim+1Ti3Fem−3O3m+3 multiferroic Aurivillius compounds prepared by mechanical activation process. X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy were applied as complementary methods. After the process of mechanical milling, desired Aurivillius phases were not formed, thus, thermal treatment needed to be applied. Heating the product of mechanical activation up to 993 K allowed to obtain Aurivillius phases with relatively large amount of non-reacted hematite. However, after the material was annealed at an elevated temperature of 1073 K, the content of not fully synthesized hematite was significantly reduced. Mössbauer spectroscopy confirmed that Aurivillius compounds remain in paramagnetic state at room temperature.

A comparative study of hyperfine interactions in Aurivillius compounds prepared by mechanical activation and solid-state sintering

Abstract X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy techniques were used to study the structure and hyperfine interactions of multiferroic Aurivillius compounds Bim+1Ti3Fem-3O3m+3. Samples were synthesized by two methods, that is, the solid-state sintering at various temperatures and mechanical activation in a high-energy ball mill. The compounds were obtained from a mixture of three polycrystalline powder oxides, that is, TiO2, Fe2O3 and Bi2O3. At room temperature, the Aurivillius compounds are paramagnetic materials with orthorhombic crystal structure. The c lattice parameter of the unit cell depends linearly on the m − number of layers with perovskite-like structure. Based on the Mössbauer studies, it is concluded that the hyperfine interactions parameters do not change with m number.