Inducing ferroelectricity and multiferroicity in undoped and doped BiFeO3 -embedded Ti3C2TX MXene free-standing film

Abstract

This work reports emergence of ferroelectricity and multiferroicity in Ti3C2Tx MXene free standing film after introduction of BiFeO3 (BFO), Z12 and Z13 nanoparticles at room-temperature. The nanoparticles and Ti3C2Tx MXene ink were separately synthesized, followed by dispersion of nanoparticles in MXene ink. Structural and optical analysis was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The introduction of BFO (Bismuth Ferrite) and BFO-doped nanoparticles into the layered structure of Ti3C2Tx resulted in distinct polarization versus electric field measurements. These measurements revealed previously unseen ferroelectric and multiferroic behavior in the MXene film, which was not observed in its pristine state. Furthermore, after subjecting the intercalated MXene to heat treatment, we observed enhanced ferroelectric characteristics. This enhancement can be attributed to the oxidation process affecting the Ti3C2Tx MXene. It's worth noting that the highly reactive titanium atoms within the Ti3C2Tx MXene play a pivotal role in generating crystalline TiO2. It's crucial to emphasize that the oxidation of the prepared films is not complete, resulting in the coexistence of unreacted MXene within the core and oxide particles on the surface. The incorporation of BFO into the intercalated MXene has brought about multiferroic behavior, owing to the ferromagnetic characteristics exhibited by BFO. Contrary to our previous report on ferroelectricity induced only after heat treatment in Ti3C2Tx MXene film. Here, we presented an alternate route to induce ferroelectricity and multiferroicity in MXene that will be useful for future data storage applications.