Indirect Magnetoelectric Coupling in Mixtures of Magnetite and Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal

• Published in: Ferroelectrics Vol. 448; no. 1; pp. 12 - 16
• Main Authors: Rožič, B., Jagodič, M., Gyergyek, S., Jagličić, Z., Kralj, S., Tzitzios, V., Cordoyiannis, G., Kutnjak, Z.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis Group 01-01-2013; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Composite materials; Ferroelectric materials; Ferroelectrics; Ferromagnetic materials; Joining; liquid crystal; Liquid crystals; Magnetic fields; Magnetic nanoparticles; Magnetite; magnetoelectric; Nanoparticles; Orientation; soft composite material
• ISSN: 0015-0193; 1563-5112
• DOI: 10.1080/00150193.2013.822263

The existence of an indirect magnetoelectricity in a soft composite material prepared as a mixture of magnetite ferromagnetic nanoparticles (NPs) and the ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) Felix 015/100 was verified by using a SQUID-based magnetometer. It was observed that the orientation of nanoparticles is directly coupled to the liquid crystal director field. Such a coupling allows the possibility of indirect coupling between the magnetic and ferroelectric order. This gifts the mixtures of FLC and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with a great potential for soft indirect magnetoelectrics.