Magneto-Electric Properties of Multiferroic Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3-NiFe2O4 Nanoceramic Composites

Bulk 0.7PbZr(0.52)Ti(0.48)O(3)-0.3NiFe(2)O(4) nanoceramic composites with a grain size of similar to 50 nm were fabricated using chemical synthesis, high-energy ball-milling, and spark plasma sintering. The composite produced broad dielectric constant peaks and frequency dispersion, similar to relaxor ferroelectrics, and was ferroelectric and ferromagnetic. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of nanoceramics are lower than those of microceramics due to grain-size effects. Butterfly-type magnetoelectric (ME) loops indicate that direct stress coupling between magnetostrictive and piezoelectric phases is still active in composite ceramics when the grain size is similar to 50 nm.