Room-temperature magnetoelectric effect in lead-free multiferroic $(1-x)$ Ba$_{0.95}$Ca$_{0.05}$Ti$_{0.89}$Sn$_{0.11}$O$_3$-$(x)$CoFe$_2$O$_4$ particulate composites

Abstract

Multiferroic particulate composites $(1-x)$ Ba$_{0.95}$Ca$_{0.05}$Ti$_{0.89}$Sn$_{0.11}$O$_3$-$(x)$CoFe$_2$O$_4$ with ($x$ = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) have been prepared by mechanical mixing of the calcined and milled individual ferroic phases. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy analysis confirmed the formation of both perovskite Ba$_{0.95}$Ca$_{0.05}$Ti$_{0.89}$Sn$_{0.11}$O$_3$ (BCTSn) and spinel CoFe$_2$O$_4$ (CFO) phases without the presence of additional phases. The morphological properties of the composites were provided by using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. The BCTSn-CFO composites exhibit multiferroic behavior at room temperature, as evidenced by ferroelectric and ferromagnetic hysteresis loops. The magnetoelectric (ME) coupling was measured under a magnetic field up to 10 kOe and the maximum ME response found to be 0.1 mV /cm/ Oe for the composition 0.7 BCTSn-0.3 CFO exhibiting a high degree of pseudo-cubicity and large density.