Magnetic field sensors using arrays of electrospun magnetoelectric Janus nanowires

Abstract The fabrication and characterization of the first magnetoelectric sensors utilizing arrays of Janus magnetoelectric composite nanowires composed of barium titanate and cobalt ferrite are presented. By utilizing magnetoelectric nanowires suspended across electrodes above the substrate, substrate clamping is reduced when compared to layered thin-film architectures; this results in enhanced magnetoelectric coupling. Janus magnetoelectric nanowires are fabricated by sol–gel electrospinning, and their length is controlled through the electrospinning and calcination conditions. Using a directed nanomanufacturing approach, the nanowires are then assembled onto pre-patterned metal electrodes on a silicon substrate using dielectrophoresis. Using this process, functional magnetic field sensors are formed by connecting many nanowires in parallel. The observed magnetic field sensitivity from the parallel array of nanowires is 0.514 ± .027 mV Oe −1 at 1 kHz, which translates to a magnetoelectric coefficient of 514 ± 27 mV cm −1 Oe −1 .