Scalable, cost-efficient synthesis and properties optimization of magnetoelectric cobalt ferrite/barium titanate composites

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4)/barium titanate (BaTiO3) particulate composites exhibiting high magnetoelectric coefficients were synthesized from low-cost commercial precursors using mechanical ball milling followed by high-temperature annealing. CoFe2O4 (20 nm–50 nm) and either cubic or tetragonal BaTiO3 nanoparticle powders used for the synthesis. It was found that utilizing a 50 nm powder as precursor results in composite with coupling coefficient value 4.3 mV/Oe cm, which is comparable to those of chemically core–shell CoFe2O4–BaTiO3 nanoparticles. The microstructure these dramatically different 200 powder. grains prepared are larger (by at least an order magnitude) significantly better electrically insulated each other surrounding matrix, electrical resistivity material. hypothesized between well embedded matrix combination material enhances observed effect.