Magnetoelectric coupling of multiferroic composites under combined magnetic and mechanical loadings

Multiferroic composites are of particular interest because of their high magnetoelectric (ME) coupling at room temperature. In multiferroic composites, ME coupling is a strain mediated effect achieved via the interfaces between the magnetic and electrical subsystems through elastic deformation. In this paper, ME coupling of laminate composites is investigated under combined magnetic and mechanical loadings. Three types of laminate composites are used, with piezoelectric phase layers of PZT plates and the magnetic phase layers comprising Terfenol-D, Ni and Metglas, respectively. As the applied compressive stress increases, the ME coefficient (αME) decreases monotonically for Terfenol-D/PZT/Terfenol-D and Metglas/PZT/Metglas, while it slightly increases for Ni/PZT/Ni laminate. To reveal the influence of the magnetic layers on the ME coupling, measurements of magnetostriction under combined magnetic and compressive loadings are carried out for Terfenol-D, Ni and Metglas. Based on the equivalent circuit model, the peak values of the ME coefficient for different compressive stresses are predicted for the laminate composites; these agree well with the experimental data. It is suggested that the compressive stress-induced strain, as well as the magnetostrictive response of the magnetic material, mainly contribute to the mechanical-magnetic-electrical coupling behavior of the multiferroic composites.