Nanoscale studies of magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroic BTO–CFO composite

We report on the existence of interacting ferromagnetic and ferroelectric nanodomains in multiferroic 0.65BaTiO3–0.35CoFe2O4 (BTO–CFO) composite synthesized using a conventional solid-state route. X-ray diffraction study shows the coexistence of individual phases (BTO and CFO) of the composite material. Nanometric studies on the sample pellet of BTO–CFO composite are carried out using Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) to probe local ferroelectric and magnetic ordering. Importantly, the interactive nanodomains of individual phases are distinctly seen in the Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy (AFAM) and Piezo-Force Microscopy (PFM) studies, which are done to investigate the magnetoelectric coupling in the BTO–CFO composite. Elasticity maps and piezoresponse images show local inhomogeneities with respect to the distribution of magnetoelectric coupling in the composite.