Tunable magnetic properties of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 materials via solid solution of NiTiO3

A solid solution of NiTiO 3 in Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 materials was fabricated by sol–gel technique. According to the X-ray diffraction analysis, (1 − x )Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 + x NiTiO 3 materials exhibited a rhombohedral structure following the Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 crystal symmetry. The random distribution of Ni cations into the host lattice of Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 materials decreased the optical band gaps from 3.06 to 2.74 eV for 9 mol.% NiTiO 3 solid solution. The magnetic properties of Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 materials were tuned from weak ferromagnetism to ferromagnetism and of compensation of ferromagnetism with diamagnetic and/or antiferromagnetic property. This work provides understanding of the role of exchange interaction of cation transition metals to integrate magnetic properties in lead-free ferroelectric materials for smart multifunctional electronic devices.