LAUSR

A series of solid solution of (1−x)BiFeO3–xBaTiO3 (abbreviated as BFO–xBT at 0.24 ≤ x ≤ 0.34) were prepared to reveal the relation between phase structure and multiferroic properties. A morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) separating R phase and T one was detected in BFO–xBT system at 0.26 ≤ x ≤ 0.34. Due to R and T two-phase coexistence, high piezoelectric properties of d33 = 191 pC/N and kp = 34.68%, as well as excellent ferroelectric properties of 2Pr = 56.13 μm/cm2 and 2EC = 75.35 kV/cm were achieved in the BFO–xBT ceramics at x = 0.30. Moreover, a low leakage current density (J) of 1.01 × 10−6–3.18 × 10−6 A/cm2 at an applied electric field of 30 kV/cm and a weak ferromagnetism with remanent magnetization Mr of 0.014–0.054 emu/g and coercive fields Hc of 946–2340 Oe were detected in BFO–xBT ceramics at 0.24 ≤ x ≤ 0.34, suggesting that the BFO–BT ceramics have promising prospects in magnetoelectric functional components.