Magnetoelectric devices based on magnetoelectric bulk composites

Abstract

Magnetoelectric (ME) composites of bulk structures show strong ME coupling performance, and thus magnetoelectric bulk composites and their related devices have been attracting increasing attention over the last few years. Two kinds of ME coupling mechanisms can be found in ME bulk composites, i.e., direct ME coupling and converse ME coupling, where electric field control of magnetization or magnetic field control of ferroelectric polarization can be achieved. Then, ultra-fast, low-power, and miniaturized electronics can be developed based on the novel functionalities of both direct and converse ME coupling effects. Direct ME coupling is used in devices such as ME sensors and energy harvesters, while converse ME coupling is used in voltage tunable inductors, bandstop filters, ME antennas, tunable resonators, etc. Here, we present a review of bulk structure ME composite materials, as well as some notable potential applications of ME composites, with emphasis on both the opportunities and challenges for the application of ME composites. The performance of ME bulk composites, their coupling structures, state-of-the-art device applications, and perspectives on direct (magnetic to electric) and converse (electric to magnetic) ME devices are summarized.