Pressure-induced phase transitions of multiferroic BiFeO3

Abstract: Pressure-induced phase transitions of multiferroic BiFeO3 have been investigated using synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction with diamond anvil cell technique at room temperature. Present experimental data clearly show that rhombohedral (R3c) phase of BiFeO3 first transforms to monoclinic (C2/m) phase at 7 GPa, then to orthorhombic (Pnma) phase at 11 GPa, which is consistent with recent theoretical ab initio calculation. However, we observe another peak at 2{\theta}=7{\deg} in the pressure range of 5-7 GPa that has not been reported previously. Further analysis reveals that this reflection peak is attributed to the orthorhombic (Pbam) phase, indicating the coexisting of monoclinic phase with orthorhombic phase in low pressure range.