Magnetocapacitance and magnetoelectric coupling effect of Ni0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4/BaTiO3 mixed multiferroic fluids

Abstract

Ni0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4/BaTiO3 (NCFO/BTO) mixed multiferroic fluids were prepared by distributing surfactant treated NCFO and BTO particles in to a highly-insulating base fluid, the magnetocapacitance and magnetoelectric coupling effect were investigated. The results indicate that the sample shows strong magnetoelectric coupling effect, in which both the coercive field Ec and remanent polarization Pr enhance obviously under the action of magnetic field, while the dielectric constant decreases with increasing the magnetic field, revealing negative magnetocapacitance phenomenon. Large direct magnetolectric coupling coefficient was estimated to be α ∼ 76 V/(cm−1.Oe), which is several orders of magnitude larger than that of conventional magnetoelectric composite ceramics. Further analysis indicates that the possibility of movement, aggregation and chain-like structure of the particles in the presence of external field is believed to be responsible for the observed negative magnetocapacitance and strong magnetoelectric coupling effect. The results show that the strong room temperature magnetoelectric effect of the mixed magnetoelectric fluids is the product of the deformation of the particle distribution and the utilization of clamping force under external field. This magnetoelectric coupling effect is different from that of conventional composite materials which is directly coupled via the interface interaction, which will be advantageous for practical applications.