Related papers: Nanoscale ferroelastic twins formed in strained La…
We have investigated the nanoscale switching properties of strain-engineered BiFeO3 thin films deposited on LaAlO3 substrates using a combination of scanning probe techniques. Polarized Raman spectral analysis indicate that the…
Determining the 3-dimensional crystallography of a material with sub-nanometre resolution is essential to understanding strain effects in epitaxial thin films. A new scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging technique is…
To minimize their electrostatic energy, insulating ferroelectric films tend to break up into nanoscale ``Kittel'' domains of opposite polarization that are separated by uncharged 180$^\circ$ domain walls. Here, I report on self-consistent…
Multiferroics where at least two primary ferroic orders are present and coupled in a single system constitute an important class of materials. They attracted special consideration as they present both intriguing fundamental physics problems…
When electric and magnetic fields are applied together on a magnetoelectric antiferromagnet, the domain state is subject to reversal. Although the initial and final conditions are saturated single-domain states, the process of reversal may…
It has been recently demonstrated that the magnetic state of FeRh can be controlled by electric fields in FeRh/BaTiO$_{\text{3}}$ heterostructures [R.O. Cherifi et al. Nature Mater. 13, 345 (2014)]. Voltage-controlled changes in the…
Exchange bias is one of the most extensively studied phenomena in magnetism, since it exerts a unidirectional anisotropy to a ferromagnet (FM) when coupled to an antiferromagnet (AFM) and the control of the exchange bias is therefore very…
Epitaxial strain provides important pathways to control the magnetic and electronic states in transition metal oxides. However, the large strain is usually accompanied by a strong reduction of the oxygen vacancy formation energy, which…
Magnetoelectric coupling in insulating multiferroic materials is invaluable for both fundamental research and multifunctional device applications. However, material realization remains a significant challenge. We employ first-principles…
The multiferroic properties of EuTiO3 are greatly enhanced when a sample is strained, signifying that coupling between strain and structural, magnetic or ferroelectric order parameters is extremely important. Here resonant ultrasound…
We investigate the sensitive interplay between magnetic, electronic and structural properties in the ferrimagnetic oxide NiFe2O4. Emphasis is placed on the impact of reduced dimensionality in the crossover from bulk-like to ultrathin films.…
Using soft x-ray spectromicroscopy, we investigate the magnetic domain structure in embedded nanomagnets defined in La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ thin films and LaFeO$_3$/La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ bilayers. We find that shape-controlled…
The exchange bias effect is an essential component of magnetic memory and spintronic devices. Whereas recent research has shown that anisotropies perpendicular to the device plane provide superior stability against thermal noise, it has…
Hexagonal YMnO_3 with space group P63cm is one of the rare examples of multiferroic materials that exhibit co-dependence of a robust ferroelectric phase along with antiferromagnetic ordering. This is primarily ascribed to tilting of the…
Ferroelastic twin walls in nonpolar materials can give rise to a spontaneous polarization due to symmetry breaking. Nevertheless, the bi-stable polarity of twin walls and its reversal have not yet been demonstrated. Here, we report that the…
The nanostructural evolution of the strain-induced structural phase transition in BiFeO3 is examined. Using high-resolution X-ray diffraction and scanning-probe microscopy-based studies we have uniquely identified and examined the numerous…
We exploit the intrinsic structural instability of the Fe70Pd30 magnetic shape memory alloy to obtain functional epitaxial films exhibiting a self-organized nanostructure. We demonstrate that coherent epitaxial straining by 54% is possible.…
Domain walls are of increasing interest in ferroelectrics because of their unique properties and potential applications in future nanoelectronics. However, the thickness of ferroelastic domain walls remains elusive due to the challenges in…
Recent experimental results demonstrate that in thin films ferroelectricity persists down to film thickness of a few unit cells. This finding opens an avenue for novel electronic devices based on ultathin ferroelectrics, but also raises…
Magnetoelectric coupling permits a magnetic order parameter to be addressed electrically or vice versa, and could find use in data storage, field sensors and actuators. Coupling constants for single phase materials such as chromium dioxide,…