Intense Pulsed Light Thermal Treatment of Pb(Zr,Ti)O /Metglas Heterostructured Films Resulting in Extreme Magnetoelectric Coupling of over 20 V cm Oe.

Magnetoelectric (ME) film composites consisting of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive materials are promising candidates for application in magnetic field sensors, energy harvesters, and ME antennas. Conventionally, high-temperature annealing is required to crystallize piezoelectric films, restricting the use of heat-sensitive magnetostrictive substrates that enhance ME coupling. Herein, a synergetic approach is demonstrated for fabricating ME film composites that combines aerosol deposition and instantaneous thermal treatment based on intense pulsed light (IPL) radiation to form piezoelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O (PZT) thick films on an amorphous Metglas substrate.

Recent Progress in Devices Based on Magnetoelectric Composite Thin Films.

The strain-driven interfacial coupling between the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric constituents of magnetoelectric (ME) composites makes them potential candidates for novel multifunctional devices. ME composites in the form of thin-film heterostructures show promising applications in miniaturized ME devices. This article reports the recent advancement in ME thin-film devices, such as highly sensitive magnetic field sensors, ME antennas, integrated tunable ME inductors, and ME band-pass filters, is discussed.

Enhancement of Energy-Harvesting Performance of Magneto-Mechano-Electric Generators through Optimization of the Interfacial Layer.

Among various energy harvester paradigms, the simple cantilever-structured magneto-mechano-electric (MME) energy generator comprises a piezoelectric material laminated on a magnetostrictive metal plate and permanent magnets as proof mass, exhibiting excellent magnetic energy-harvesting performance. The current challenge in using MME energy harvesters is the mechano-electric coupling at the interface between the piezoelectric material and magnetostrictive metal layer, which depends significantly on the mechanical properties of the interfacial adhesive layer. In this study, the effects of four types of adhesive interfacial layers on the output power and environmental and fatigue resistances of MME harvesters are systematically investigated.

Quantitative Measurements of Size-Dependent Magnetoelectric Coupling in FeO Nanoparticles.

Bulk magnetite (FeO), the loadstone used in magnetic compasses, has been known to exhibit magnetoelectric (ME) properties below ∼10 K; however, corresponding ME effects in FeO nanoparticles have been enigmatic. We investigate quantitatively the ME coupling of spherical FeO nanoparticles with uniform diameters (d) from 3 to 15 nm embedded in an insulating host, using a sensitive ME susceptometer. The intrinsic ME susceptibility (MES) of the FeO nanoparticles is measured, exhibiting a maximum value of ∼0.