Since the turn of the millennium, giant magnetoelectric (ME) effects have been found in laminated composites of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive layers. Compared with ME single phase and two-phase particulate composites, laminated composites have much higher ME coefficients and are also readily fabricated. Here, we will overview the brief history of ME laminates, discussing some of the important advancements in material couples, laminate configurations, and operational modes that have allowed for dramatic enhancements in the ME voltage and charge coefficients.

The measurement of low-frequency (10−2–103Hz) minute magnetic field variations (10−12Tesla) at room temperature in a passive mode of operation would be critically enabling for deployable neurological signal interfacing and magnetic anomaly detection applications. However, there is presently no magnetic field sensor capable of meeting all of these requirements. Here, we present new bimorph and push-pull magneto-electric laminate composites, which incorporate a charge compensation mechanism (or bridge) that dramatically enhances noise rejection, enabling achievement of such requirements.

Here, the authors report thin (<100μm) and flexible magnetoelectric (ME) composites consisting of Metglas (high-μ magnetostriction) and polyvinylidene-fluoride (piezopolymer) layers laminated together. Both unimorph and three-layer configurations have been studied. The authors find that these ME laminates (i) require dc magnetic biases as low as 8Oe to (ii) induce giant ME voltage coefficients of 7.2V∕cmOe at low frequencies, and up to 310V∕cmOe under resonant drive.

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). Das, J.; Gao, J.; Xing, Z.; et al., "Enhancement in the field sensitivity of magnetoelectric laminate heterostructures," Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 092501 (2009); http:// dx