Understanding the Effect of Synthesis and Sintering Temperature on the Functional Properties of Barium Titanate/Cobalt Ferrite Composites

Abstract

To investigate the effect of synthesis procedure and sintering temperature on the functional properties of perovskite/spinel ceramics, BaTiO3/CoFe2O4 composites were prepared by thermal decomposition, coprecipitation, and microemulsion method, and sintered at 1150°C and 1300°C. The phase composition and morphology of as-prepared powders as well as sintered ceramics were thoroughly examined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The dielectric and ferroelectric measurements were performed in detail. Generally, the samples sintered at 1300°C had better performances than those sintered at 1150°C. The composite synthesized by thermal decomposition and sintered at 1300 °C stands out among other prepared BaTiO3/CoFe2O4 ceramics, owing to high stability in the wide frequency range and low leakage currents. The obtained results indicate that such composite might be successfully applied as a functional multiferroic.