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

• Published in: Journal of the American Ceramic Society Vol. 94; no. 8; pp. 2311 - 2314
• Main Authors: Jiang, Qinghui, Liu, Futian, Yan, Haixue, Ning, Huanpo, Libor, Zsuzsanna, Zhang, Qi, Cain, Markys, Reece, Michael J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-08-2011
• Subjects: Ceramics; Dispersions; Ferroelectric materials; Ferromagnetism; Grain size; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanostructure; Piezoelectricity
• ISSN: 0002-7820; 1551-2916
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2011.04665.x

Bulk 0.7PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3–0.3NiFe2O4 nanoceramic composites with a grain size of ~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 ~50 nm.