Strong magnetoelectric coupling in sol–gel derived multiferroic (Pb0.76Ca0.24)TiO3–CoFe2O4 composite films

A multilayer heterostructure composite thin films consisting of alternating layers (Pb0.76Ca0.24)TiO3 (PCT) and CoFe2O4 (CFO) were grown on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrate by a sol–gel process. X-ray measurements indicated high quality of crystallization of both PCT and CFO layers. The magnetic and ferroelectric properties of the composite were investigated. Well-defined polarization vs. electric field (P–E) and magnetic hysteresis (M-H) loops were obtained. A strong magnetoelectric (ME) response was observed in the sample which was subjected to an alternating magnetic field, and a high ME voltage coefficient αE = 870 mV/Oe cm was obtained for the composite thin films when applied magnetic field parallel to the sample plane.

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