Piezoelectromagnetic SH-SAWs: A review

This review has a purpose to acquaint the experimental and theoretical research society with the recent theoretical achievements in the research field of the shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) propagation in the two-phase materials. It is well-known that to know the SH-SAW characteristics can be very important for the sensor applications. Since 2007, several contributors have achieved some progress in the theory when it was theoretically demonstrated that several new SH-SAWs can propagate in novel two-phase materials called the piezoelectromagnetics (PEMs) or the magneto-electro-elastic materials. For the last half-decade, a lot of new SH-SAWs were discovered and it was also found that they can propagate in the cubic PEMs and the transversely isotropic piezoelectromagnetic materials of class 6 mm. For the same set of the boundary conditions, only one SH-SAW can propagate in the cubic PEMs and two SH-SAWs can propagate in the hexagonal PEMs of class 6 mm. They can have potential applications in the SH-SAW sensors such as biosensors, physical and chemical sensors. It was also discussed that some theoretical results cannot be true. Keywords: hexagonal (6 mm) and cubic piezoelectromagnetics, magnetoelectric effect, new SH-SAWs and electromagnetic wave