Arrays of Janus-Type Magnetoelectric Nanowires for Passive Magnetic Field Sensing

Abstract

The increasing ubiquity of sensors in IoT devices and consumer electronics demands the development of high performance, low power sensors, which can be integrated on chip with existing semiconductor technology. Magnetoelectrics, materials in which an applied magnetic field induces an electrical polarization, could offer passive magnetic field sensing capability using minimal power. Here, novel magnetoelectric nanowire arrays are fabricated which produce magnetoelectric coefficients 1-2 orders of magnitude greater than their thin film analogs are presented with 1910±100 mV cm ^-1 Oe ^-1 and 2241 ±528mV cm ^-1 Oe ^-1 observed at 1 kHz in barium titanate-cobalt ferrite and lead zirconate titanate-nickel zinc ferrite, respectively. Magnetoelectric nanowires are fabricated with a Janus, morphology where a magnetostrictive and piezoelectric phase couple along the longitudinal axis of the nanowire are fabricated via sol gel electrospinning combined with a controlled calcination process. Nanowire arrays are formed using dielectrophoresis. Magnetoelectric and magnetic field sensitivity results from arrays formed from both barium titanate and cobalt ferrite and lead zirconate titanate and nickel zinc ferrite are presented.