Exploring the influence of ferrite selection on magneto-electric coupling in ferrite/BCZT laminate composites

The present study aims to unveil the interplay of magneto-striction to optimize magneto-electric coupling in a layered composite of ferroelectric and ferrite materials. The laminate composites of CoFe₂O₄ (CFO), Ni_0.8Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄ (NZFO), Ni_0.75Zn_0.20Co_0.05Fe₂O₄ (CNZFO), and BiFeO₃ (BFO), in combination with Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ (BCZT), were prepared using silver conductive epoxy. This study involves a comprehensive exploration of the influence of different ferrite materials, with BCZT as the ferroelectric component, on the magneto-electric (ME) coupling in laminate-type composites. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of sintered BCZT, CFO, NZFO, BFO, and CNZFO compounds depict desired phase without any impurity. The impedance spectroscopy has been employed to reveal the generic ME characteristics. The magneto-electric coupling coefficient (MECC) of the bilayer composite samples shows a significant variation with ferrite. This study highlights the potential for robust magneto-strictive properties of CFO by revealing its superior ME coupling (112.5 mV/cm-Oe at 105 Gauss).