Multiferroic CoFe2O4–Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 nanofibers by electrospinning

Abstract

Multiferroic materials possess two or more types of orders simultaneously that couple the electric and magnetic fields, and composite multiferroics have been widely explored for their excellent magnetoelectric coupling. In this letter, we report a strategy to hybrid multiferroicity at nanoscale. Multiferroic CoFe2O4–Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 nanofibers are synthesized by sol-gel process and electrospinning, the spinel structure of CoFe2O4 (CFO) and perovskite structure of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) are verified by x-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and the multiferroicity of the nanofibers are confirmed by piezoresponse force microscopy and magnetic hysteresis. Excellent ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties have been observed, which could enable multiferroic devices at nanoscale.