Ethylene glycol assisted 3D floral evolution of BiFeO3-based nanostructures with effective magneto-electric response

Controlled growth of nanostructures plays a vital role in tuning the physical and chemical properties of functional materials for advanced energy and memory storage devices. Herein, we synthesized hierarchical micro-sized flowers, built by the self-assembly of highly crystalline, 2-dimensional nanoplates of Co and Ni doped BiFeO3, using a simple ethylene glycol mediated solvothermal method. Pure BiFeO3 attained scattered one-dimensional nanorods-type morphology having diameter nearly 60 nm. Co-doping of Co and Ni at Fe-site in BiFeO3 does not destabilize the morphology; rather it generates 3-dimensinal floral patterns of self-assembled nanoplates. Unsaturated polarization loops obtained for BiFeO3 confirmed the leakage behavior of these rhombohedrally distorted cubic perovskites. These loops were then utilized to determine the energy density of the BiFeO3 perovskites. Enhanced ferromagnetic behavior with high coercivity and remanence was observed for these nanoplates. A detailed discuss...