Sintering-induced multiferroicity in 0.93(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3–0.07BaTiO3 ceramics

Two 0.93(Na[Formula: see text]Bi[Formula: see text]TiO 3 –0.07BaTiO 3 ceramics were sintered for 2[Formula: see text]h and 3 h, respectively, by a conventional solid reaction method. The ceramic sintered for 2[Formula: see text]h showed a normal ferroelectric hysteresis loop and paramagnetic behavior, while the ceramic sintered for 3[Formula: see text]h showed a pinched ferroelectric hysteresis loop, weak ferromagnetism, and enhanced magnetoelectric coupling. The origins of the sintering time-related multiferroic properties are discussed in detail. The work offers a new way to induce multiferroicity in ceramics by tuning sintering time.