Magnetic Properties of Bismuth Ferrite Nanopowder Obtained by Mechanochemical Synthesis

Multiferroic bismuth ferrite $(BiFeO_{3})$ nanopowders have been obtained at room temperature by mechanochemical synthesis. Depending on the post-synthesis processing the nanopowders exhibited differences in the mean sizes, presence of amorphous layer and/or secondary phases. Extended magnetic study performed for fresh, annealed and hot-pressed nanopowders revealed substantial improvement of the magnetic properties in the as-prepared powder