The magnetopyroelectric effect: heat-mediated magnetoelectricity in magnetic nanoparticle-ferroelectric polymer composites
Joaquin Llacer‐Wintle, Jan Renz, Lukas Hertle, Andrea Veciana, Denis von Arx, Jiang Wu, P. Bruna, Marija Vukomanović, Josep Puigmartí‐Luis, Bradley J. Nelson, Xiangzhong Chen, Salvador Pané
Abstract
Magnetoelectricity enables a solid-state material to generate electricity under magnetic fields. Most magnetoelectric composites are developed through a strain-mediated route by coupling piezoelectric and magnetostrictive phases. However, the limited availability of high-performance magnetostrictive components has become a constraint for the development of novel magnetoelectric materials. Here, we demonstrate that nanostructured composites of magnetic and pyroelectric materials can generate electrical output, a phenomenon we refer to as the magnetopyroelectric (MPE) effect, which is analogous to the magnetoelectric effect in strain-mediated composite multiferroics. Our composite consists of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) dispersed in a ferroelectric (and also pyroelectric) poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) matrix. Under a high-frequency low-magnitude alternating magnetic field, the IONPs generate heat through hysteresis loss, which stimulates the depolarization process of the pyroelectric polymer. This magnetopyroelectric approach creates a new opportunity to develop magnetoelectric materials for a wide range of applications.