Investigation of low frequency giant magnetoelectric torque effect

The giant magnetoelectric (ME) effect induced by the coupling of piezoelectricity and magnetic torque in piezo-bimorph/magnet composites has been investigated. The relation between the ME voltage and the sample's geometry (thickness, length, width, etc.), materials parameters (piezoelectric coefficient, residual flux density, permittivity, etc.) was derived through the elasticity mechanics method. Our experimental results confirmed the theoretical prediction. A Pb(Zr1-xTix)O-3-bimorph/NdFeB sample with 500 pT sensitivity at 10 Hz was also constructed and showed a good linearity in the measurement range of nano to mili tesla. This research has provided a guide of designing better magnetoelectric devices with low cost and zero power consumption. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.