Tunable Strain in Magnetoelectric ZnO Microrod Composite Interfaces

The intrinsic strain at coupled components in magnetoelectric composites plays an important role for the properties and function of these materials. In this in situ X-ray nanodiffraction experiment, the coating-induced as well as the magnetic-field-induced strain at the coupled interface of complex magnetoelectric microcomposites were investigated. These consist of piezoelectric ZnO microrods coated with an amorphous layer of magnetostrictive (Fe₉₀Co₁₀)₇₈Si₁₂B₁₀. While the intrinsic strain is in the range of 10^-4, the magnetic-field-induced strain is within 10^-5, one order of magnitude smaller. Additionally, the strain relaxation distance of around 5 μm for both kinds of strain superposes indicating a correlation. The value of both intrinsic and magnetic-field-induced strain can be manipulated by the diameter of the rodlike composite. The intrinsic interface strain within the ZnO increases exponentially by decreasing the rod diameter while the magnetic-field-induced strain increases linearly within the given range. This study shows that miniaturizing has a huge impact on magnetoelectric composite properties, resulting in a strongly enhanced strain field and magnetic response.