Phys.org September 6, 2018
A team of researchers in the US (UT San Antonio, Los Alamos National Laboratory) demonstrated that when an assembly of ferromagnetic core (cobalt ferrite) and a ferroelectric shell (barium titanate) is operated in external magnetic fields, it exhibits a controllable amplitude modulation when the magnetic field is applied antiparallel to the THz wave propagation direction; yet the same assembly displays an additional phase modulation when the magnetic field is applied along the propagation direction. Phase modulation is a result of stress-mediated piezoelectricity of the outer ferroelectric shell. The findings could enable tiny, high frequency transistors, create wireless networks that let nanorobots work together… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
The image shows the different magnetic and electric effects that occur in the cobalt ferrite (CFO) core (square) and surrounding barium titanate (BTO) shell (sphere) when an assembly of nanoparticles is operated in an external magnetic field (B). Credit: Royal Society of Chemistry