Magnetoelectric properties of the lead-free cofired BaTiO3-(Ni0.8Zn0.2)Fe2O4 bilayer composite

In this letter the authors report the ferroelectric and magnetoelectric (ME) properties of the cofired bilayer composite targeting low cost lead-free magnetic field sensor. The ME response was characterized as a function of the magnetic field direction and as a function of the dc bias. It was found that when the ac magnetic field is applied at 90 degrees to the ferroelectric polarization axis of the sample, a ME response of 72 mV/cm Oe was obtained without any dc bias. The magnitude of the ME coefficient reached the saturation at dc bias of 1000 Oe having magnitude of 152 mV/cm Oe. The scanning electron microscopy analysis showed the presence of clear interface boundary between the strained BaTiO3/(Ni0.8Zn0.2)Fe2O4 region. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.