Broadband transverse susceptibility in multiferroic Y-type hexaferrite Ba0.5Sr1.5Co2Fe2O22

Abstract

Single phase multiferroics in which ordered magnetism and ferroelectricity coexist, are of great interest for new multifunctional devices, and among them Y-type hexaferrites are good candidates. Transverse susceptibility measurements, which have been proved to be a versatile tool to study singular properties of bulk and nanoparticle magnetic systems, have been carried out with a broadband system on polycrystalline Y type hexaferrites with composition Ba0.5Sr1.5Co2Fe2O22, optimal to exhibit multiferroic properties. In the temperature range 80–350 K transverse susceptibility measurements with DC fields up to ±5000 Oe reveal different behaviour depending on the sintering temperature. The thermal evolution of the anisotropy field peak exhibits four regions with different slopes: positive in 80–130 K, negative in 130–200 K, constant in 200–280 K and negative in 280–350 K, which can be considered a signature of spin transitions in this compound.