Studies on lead-free multiferroic magnetoelectric composites

Lead-free multiferroic magnetoelectric composites consisting of ferrimagnetic Ni0.93Co0.02Mn0.05Fe1.95O4 (NMF) and ferroelectric Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT) phases were synthesized by the solid-state sintering method. The presence of constituent phases in composites was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A systematic study of dc conductivity as a function of temperature (RT −450 °C) revealed that the conduction is due to small polarons. The effect of constituent phase variation on the dielectric constant and piezoelectric strength (d33) was examined. The composites exhibited typical magnetic hysteresis (M–H) loops at room temperature. Furthermore, magnetoelectric (ME) output was evaluated as a function of applied magnetic field, which is a product property of the constituent phases. The compound 50% NMF–50%NBT is a new lead-free magnetoelectric composite with 155 μV/cm ME output, which may have potential applications.