Lead free xNiFe₂O₄ – (1-x)ErMnO₃ (x = 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5) multiferroic nanocomposites: Studies of magnetoelectric coupling, AC electrical and magnetodielectric properties

Abstract

Magnetoelectric coupling in xNiFe₂O₄ (NFO) – (1-x) ErMnO₃ (EMO) (x = 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5) lead free multiferroic nanocomposites prepared through pyrophoric reaction method has been investigated at room temperature. The value of magnetoelectric coefficient is found to ∼1.48 mV/cmOe at a frequency of 1 kHz in longitudinal configuration for 0.5NFO – 0.5EMO nanocomposites. The observed magnetoelectric coefficient for all those nanocomposites may be due to the presence of magnetostriction and magnetodielectric properties of piezomagnetic component of the composites. Also, the value of magnetoelectric coefficient is found to depend on ErMnO₃ volume fraction. Moreover, magnetic field tuning of ac electrical properties have been observed. Nyquist plots at different applied dc magnetic field show the significant contributions of grain boundaries and grain of the samples. The magnetodielectric constant is found to be ∼47% at a frequency of 1 kHz for 0.5NFO – 0.5EMO nanocomposites.

KEYWORDS:

• Magnetoelectric coupling
• multiferroic
• nanocomposites
• impedance

Additional information

Funding

One of the authors S. K. Mandal acknowledges the DST Project (No. SR/FTP/PS-019/2012), India for financial support.