Multiferroic magnetoelectric coupling effect of three-layer multiferroic (Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3–Ni0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4)3 heterojunction fabricated by sol–gel process

Multiferroic materials have been widely used in novel multifunctional smart devices for their excellent magnetoelectric coupling properties. In this work, a three-layer multiferroic (Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3–Ni0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4)3 heterojunction was fabricated using a sol–gel process followed with a rapid thermal process. The phase composition, microtopography as well as magnetoelectric coupling properties of the heterojunction were investigated at room temperature. It demonstrated that such a three-layer heterostructure shows not only excellent ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism, but also good magnetoelectric coupling. The maximum value of the in-plane magnetoelectric coupling coefficient is ~ 55 mV cm−1 Oe−1 at 630 Oe. Meanwhile, the macro-magnetoelectric coupling characteristics of the heterojunction are verified by the dynamic processes of the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic domain structure induced by the stress exerted on dipoles in an applied field, making it more attractive in the design of modern multifunctional devices.