Abstract
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•BiFeO3-Ni0.5Co0.5−xZnxFe2O4 composites synthesized using sol-gel auto-combustion.•Confirmation of perovskite and spinel phases by XRD analysis.•Particle size slightly increased with increase of substitution contents.•Substitution of Zn promoted net magnetization by preferably sitting at tetrahedral sites.•Magneto-electric coupling caused by strain mediated by structural transformation.
Interfacial coupling in heterostructures of spinel-perovskite nanocomposites, primarily controls the performance of the multiferroic samples, especially in such type of binary structure systems. The interfacial response in this class of composites is a key feature to enhance the magnetoelectric response of the materials. For this purpose, here we synthesized a series of 0.5BiFeO3−0.5Ni0.5Co0.5Fe2O4 by substituting Zn at Co-site in spinel phase, using a facile wet chemical technique. The structural analysis carried out using X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of both the phases. Spherical type agglomerated grains with sharp and distinct grain boundaries were exposed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Elemental profile was mapped by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to confirm the stoichiometric composition of these composites. Improvement in saturation magnetization and remanence with increasing substitution contents was analyzed via vibrating sample magnetometer. In addition, the ferroelectric investigations were carried out to calculate the recoverable energy and energy loss density. Magneto-polarizability investigations uncovered the potential of these composites for multi-state device applications.