Synthesis and magnetoelectric characterization of cobalt ferrite-barium titanate composites using a new pulsed magnetic field method

BaTiO3-CoFe2O4 composites synthesized by the ceramic method showed a magneto-electric effect. The CoFe2O4 powders were synthesized by coprecipitation and mixed with Aldrich reactive quality BaTiO3 powders with particle size < 2 mu m. The coupling of the magnetostrictive and the piezoelectric phases via elastic deformations of the properly polarized composites produced a magnetoelectric effect. The starting powders and the composites were characterized by thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction with Reitveld refinements, scanning electron microscopy and particle size distribution using light scattering. The magnetoelectric coefficient, alpha = dE/dH, was measured using the dynamic method, and a new pulsed magnetic field method developed in our laboratory.