Promising magnetoelectric properties of (x)Ni0.46Cu0.14Zn0.40Fe2O4 + (1 − x)Ba0.95Sr0.05Zr0.05Ti0.95O3 multiferroic composites

Multiferroic composites with chemical composition ( x )[Ni 0.46 Cu 0.14 Zn 0.40 Fe 2 O 4 ](NCZFO) + (1 − x )[Ba 0.95 Sr 0.05 Zr 0.05 Ti 0.95 O 3 ](BSZTO) had been successfully synthesized via standard solid-state reaction method, and samples prepared from these composites were then sintered at 1100 and 1200 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the cubic spinel structure formation for ferromagnetic phase and single-phase tetragonal perovskite structure for ferroelectric phase. Scanning Electron Microscopy images revealed a good densification of bulk ceramics and a good mixing of two phases. The complex permeability increased and magnetic loss decreased with the increase of both NCZFO content and sintering temperature. The dielectric constant showed dispersion behavior in the lower frequency range due to interfacial polarization and was independent of frequency at high-frequency region. The saturation magnetization increases with the increase of x (ferrite content) in the composites. The magnetoelectric voltage coefficient, α ME , was measured with the variation of applied dc magnetic field which showed excellent stability over the entire range of magnetic field. The maximum value of α ME =1130 mV cm −1 Oe −1 was found for x = 0.1 composite sintered at 1200 °C. Overall, the composites studied in our investigation were promising in terms of magnetic, electrical and magnetoelectric properties and might be useful in construction of potential multifunctional devices. These composites maybe a suitable alternative of Pb-based multiferroics.