Magnetic Properties of the Bi₆Fe₂Ti₃O₁₈ Aurivillius Phase Prepared by Hydrothermal Method

The multiferroic Aurivillius phases in the Bi-Fe-Ti-O system are built from alternate (Bi2O2)2+ and (Bin-1XnO3n+1)2 layers, where X = Fe3+, Ti4+ and “n” refers to the number of perovskite-like layers between Bi2O2 layers. Detailed magnetic studies should be done to understand electromagnetic interactions and multiferroic coupling effects. In the present paper, a powder composed of the Aurivillius phase with n = 5, Bi6Fe2Ti3O18, was successfully prepared by the hydrothermal method. The powder was sintered, obtaining dense polycrystalline materials. It was stated that both powder and sintered bodies were paramagnets with a possible antiferromagnetic ordering or a spin-glass state at the liquid helium temperatures.