Neutron diffraction study of multiferroic Mo-doped CoFe2O4

Abstract

Neutron diffraction measurements have been carried out to study the coexistence of magnetic ordering and ferroelectricity at room temperature in CoFe1.8Mo0.2O4. It is observed from this study that the Mo6+ preferentially occupies the octahedral site and it converts some of the Fe3+ ions into Fe2+ ions in the tetrahedral site. The conversion of Fe3+ ions into Fe2+ ions modulate the Fe-Fe distances which in effect induce the ferroelectricity in magnetically ordered CoFe1.8Mo0.2O4. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.