Significant magnetoelectric enhancement of composite films of CoZnxFe2-xO4 particles and poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) for AC magnetic sensors

Abstract

Polymer-based magnetoelectric (ME) nanocomposites exhibit a low ME effect and high bias field at room temperature, which severely limits their application in flexible wearable sensors. To overcome these obstacles, Zn-doped magnetic nanoparticles of CoZnxFe2-xO4 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) were prepared by an auto-combustion method in this work. The obtained magnetostrictive curves imply that Zn element doping can improve greatly the piezomagnetic coefficient of magnetic nanoparticles, and among the tested materials, CoZn0.1Fe1.9O4 has the largest piezomagnetic coefficient. Composite films of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and CoZn0.1Fe1.9O4 (P(VDF-TrFE)/CoZn0.1Fe1.9O4) were prepared by spin coating. The maximum ME voltage coefficient of P(VDF-TrFE)/CoZn0.1Fe1.9O4 composite film with a filler weight concentration of 10 wt% is 87.9 mV cm−1 Oe−1 with a bias field of 1050 Oe and a resonance frequency of 46 kHz, which is the highest value reported in the literature of 0–3 type polymer-based ME composite films at present. To evaluate the composite films for application in magnetic sensors, the ME output voltage was measured at a bias field of 1050 Oe with increasing AC magnetic field, demonstrating a good linear relationship with linearity of 0.999. These results indicate that the piezomagnetic coefficient of magnetic materials is an the important factor for the great enhancement of the ME voltage coefficient. This work provides a new approach for the synthesis of more effective polymer-based ME nanocomposites for potential applications in smart wearables.