Giant magnetoelectric effect in mechanically clamped heterostructures of magnetostrictive alloy and piezoelectric crystal-alloy cymbal

Abstract

We experimentally and theoretically report a giant magnetoelectric (ME) effect in a heterostructure made by clamping a bar-shaped magnetostrictive Tb0.3 Dy0.7 Fe1.92 (Terfenol-D) alloy actuator and a cymbal-type piezoelectric 0.7Pb (Mg1/3 Nb2/3) O3 -0.3PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) (PMN-PT) single crystal-brass alloy transducer in a brass alloy frame. The reported ME effect originates from the stress-mediated product of the magnetostrictive effect in the Terfenol-D bar actuator and the mechanically transformed/amplified piezoelectric effect in the PMN PT-brass cymbal transducer under mechanically clamped conditions. The heterostructure exhibits a giant ME voltage coefficient (αV) of 440 mVOe at an optimal magnetic bias field of 400 Oe besides showing good linearity between the induced ME voltage and the applied ac magnetic field in the field range of 10-3 -10 Oe. This αV is larger than that of conventional Terfenol-D/PMN-PT laminated composites.