Multiferroic and magnetoelectric properties of Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3–CoFe2O4 core–shell nanocomposite

• The magnetoelectric multiferroic BCZT–CFO nanocomposite is synthesized via sol–gel route.
• The XRD measurements show no phases other than BCZT and CFO.
• The microstructure analysis employing TEM indicates that the majority of particles formed are having core–shell structure.
• The capacitance, resistance and ferroelectric polarization are magnetically tunable.
• The composite showed a high magnetoelectric response.

Lead-free magnetoelectric (ME) composites with remarkable ME coupling are required for the realization of eco-friendly multifunctional devices. This work demonstrates the ME properties of Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3–CoFe2O4 (BCZT–CFO) core–shell composites synthesized via co-sol–gel technique. Room temperature ferroelectric and ferromagnetic characterization have shown that the samples are magnetic and ferroelectric along with an adequate magnetoelectric coupling of 12.15 mV/(cm Oe). The strong dependence of electric parameters on applied magnetic DC bias fields demonstrated in ferroelectric and magnetoelectric measurements provide a framework for the development of potential magnetoelectric devices. Also, the high sensitivity of magnetoelectric coupling towards the applied AC magnetic field can be used for its application in magnetoelectric sensors.