Bending Resonance in a Magnetostrictive-Piezoelectric Bilayer and Magnetoelectric Interactions

A ferromagnetic and piezoelectric layered composite is found to show resonance enhancement of strain mediated magnetoelectric (ME) coupling at frequencies as low as 20 Hz. Samples of Permendur-lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and Metglas-PZT show bending resonance at fr = 120–158 Hz and two-orders of magnitude enhancement in ME voltage. When a tip mass m = 1 – 20 g is placed on the cantilever, fr decreases and levels off at 20 Hz and ME voltage increases by a factor of two. These observations are in agreement with theory. The composite cantilevers are of importance for ultrasensitive low-frequency magnetometers.