Rapid synthesis of multiferroic BiFeO3 single-crystalline nanostructures

A simple, large-scale synthesis method was performed to prepare BiFeO3 nanostructures in NaCl-Na2- SO4 salts by rapid sintering and quenching to room temperature in air. Bi203, Fe203, NaCl, Na2SO4, and NP-9 (nonylphenyl ether) were mixed in a molar ratio of 1:1:5:5:3, ground for 20 mm, and then sonicated for 10 mm. The mixture was transferred to a crucible, pretreated at 400 °C for 2 h, and then loaded into a furnace, where the temperature was maintained at 800 °C for 20 mm before quenching to room temperature in air. The morphology and structure of the material were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The decrease in the dielectric constant with an increase in frequency reveals the anomalous dispersion of the dielectric constant in low and intermediate frequency range.