The size effect of BiFeO₃ nanocrystals on the spatial spin modulated structure

The spatial spin modulated structure (SSMS) of the cycloid type present in bulk BiFeO3 prevents the linear magnetoelectric effect. One way to influence this structure is to reduce the crystal size to the nanoscale. Various opinions are circulating in the literature about the effect of nanocrystal size on SSMS, and to investigate this issue, we used a number of methods, with zero-field NMR (ZF NMR) spectroscopy at the forefront. ZF NMR spectroscopy enables the direct observation of the distribution profile of local fields on iron atoms and defines the SSMS presence and its properties. We also examined the synthesized samples using XRD, TEM, and magnetometry. We conclude that SSMS persists as the nanocrystal size decreases to the cycloid period and less, becoming more harmonic. This is accompanied by the change of the anisotropy type from an “easy axis” to an “easy plane”. Magnetic measurements show a significant increase in the saturation magnetization, remanent magnetization, coercivity, and exchange bias of nanocrystals with sizes close to the cycloid period, which is probably associated with incomplete spin compensation in the case of an incomplete cycloid period. Despite the fact that SSMS is retained in the samples with decreased size, the magnetic properties experience a sharp increase up to applicable values.