Synthesis of lead zirconate titanate–cobalt ferrite magnetoelectric particulate composites via an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid–citrate gel process

Magnetoelectric particulate composites composed of Pb(Zr0.48Ti0.52)O3Pb(Zr0.48Ti0.52)O3 (PZT) and CoFe2O4 (CFO) (molar ratio: PZT/CFOPZT/CFO = 1:1) are prepared via an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)–citrate gel process. In the composite sample sintered at 1080 °C, crystalline CFO particles 1–2 μm in size are uniformly distributed in the PZT matrix, which has a grain size of 0.3–0.5 μm. This microstructure leads to a high electrical resistivity (∼1.8×1011Ωcm), which is a significant improvement on previous studies.