The key difference between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials is that ferroelectric materials have a spontaneous electric polarization that is reversible by applying an external electric field, whereas ferromagnetic materials show a permanent magnetic moment.
Since ferroelectric materials and ferromagnetic materials show similar behaviors, they are often confused with each other. However, these two are different from each other chemically. Moreover, ferromagnetism was discovered sometime before the discovery of ferroelectricity.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Ferroelectric Materials
3. What are Ferromagnetic Materials
4. Ferroelectric vs Ferromagnetic Materials in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Ferroelectric vs Ferromagnetic Materials
What are Ferroelectric Materials?
Ferroelectric materials are substances exhibiting ferroelectricity, which is the ability to have spontaneous electric polarization. This can be observed by the application of an external electric field from the opposite direction. Ferroelectricity was discovered by Rochelle Salt in 1921. Moreover, the reversing of the polarity of a ferroelectric material through applying an external electric field is known as switching.
Ferroelectric materials can maintain polarization after the removal of the electric field as well. There are some similarities between ferroelectric materials and ferromagnetic materials. This reveals the permanent magnetic moment.
The applications of ferroelectric materials include the followings:
- Thermistors
- Oscillators
- Non-volatile memory
- Filters
- Capacitors
- Light deflectors
- Transchargers
- Electro-optic materials
- Modulators
- Piezoelectrics
According to some research studies, we can divide ferroelectric materials into three groups as a one-dimensional class, a two-dimensional class, and a three-dimensional class. Among them, the one-dimensional class has atomic displacements that occur parallel to the polar axis. The two-dimensional class has atomic displacements with a plane consisting of the polar axis. Finally, the three-dimensional class occurs with atomic displacements having a similar magnitude in all three directions.
What are Ferromagnetic Materials?
Ferromagnetic materials are materials that are strongly attracted to an external magnetic field. This type of material has more unpaired electrons in its metal atoms or metal ions. When this type of material is attracted to an external magnetic field, it gets induced magnetically and can behave as tiny magnets. On an industrial scale, ferromagnetic materials are separated from other materials using low-intensity magnetic separators that have a magnetic field with 0.04 Tesla.
Ferromagnetism is a characteristic behavior that can be found in certain materials like iron, cobalt, and other alloys. These materials usually obtain permanent magnetism and the corresponding attraction powers. We can describe this phenomenon as a process in which some of the uncharged materials tend to attract each other strongly.
Properties of Ferromagnetic Materials
Given below are some of the major properties of ferromagnetic materials
- Atoms have a permanent dipole moment.
- Atomic dipoles are oriented in a direction similar to the external magnetic field.
- The magnetic dipole moment is large.
- There is a very large intensity of magnetization.
- There is a very large and positive magnetic susceptibility.
What is the Difference Between Ferroelectric and Ferromagnetic Materials?
There are two different types of magnetic materials known as ferroelectric materials and ferromagnetic materials. The key difference between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials is that ferroelectric materials have a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reversed by applying an external electric field, whereas ferromagnetic materials show a permanent magnetic moment.
The following table summarizes the difference between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials.
Summary – Ferroelectric vs Ferromagnetic Materials
Ferroelectric materials are substances exhibiting ferroelectricity, while ferromagnetic materials are materials that are strongly attracted to an external magnetic field. The key difference between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials is that ferroelectric materials have a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reversed by applying an external electric field, whereas ferromagnetic materials show a permanent magnetic moment.
Reference:
1. “Ferromagnetic Materials – Definition, Causes of Ferromagnetism, Examples, Uses.” BYJUS, 28 Apr. 2022.
Image Courtesy:
1. “MagnetEZ” By Eurico Zimbres FGEL/UERJ – the author is owner (CC BY-SA 2.0 br) via Commons Wikimedia