Anisotropic magnetoelectric effect in lead zirconate titanate and magnetostrictive fiber composite structures

Objectives. The development of composite structures in which a strongly anisotropic magnetoelectric (ME) effect is observed is relevant for the creation of sensors that are sensitive to the direction of the magnetic field. Such an ME effect can arise due to the anisotropy of both the magnetic and the piezoelectric layers. In this work, a new anisotropic material named as a magnetostrictive fiber composite (MFC), comprising a set of nickel wires placed closely parallel to each other in one layer and immersed in a polymer matrix, is manufactured and studied. The study aimed to investigate the linear ME effect in a structure comprising of a new magnetic material, MFC, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT-19).

Methods. The magnetostriction for the MFC structure was measured using the strain-gauge method; the ME effect was determined by low-frequency magnetic field modulation.

Results. Structures with nickel wire diameters of 100, 150, and 200 μm were fabricated. The MFC magnetostriction field dependences were determined along with the frequency-, field-, and amplitude dependences of the ME voltage in the case of linear ME effect. Measurements were carried out at various values of the angle between the direction of the magnetic field and the wires. All samples demonstrated strong anisotropy with respect to the direction of the magnetic field. When the magnetic field orientation changes from parallel to perpendicular with respect to the nickel wire axes, the ME voltage decreases from its maximum value to zero.

Conclusions. The largest ME coefficient 1.71 V/(Oe · cm) was obtained for a structure made of MFC with a wire diameter of 150 μm. With increasing wire diameter, the resonance frequency increases from 3.5 to 6.5 kHz. The magnetostriction of the MFC is comparable in magnitude to that of a nickel plate having the same thickness.

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