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NPG Asia Materials is proud to present a web focus on Magnetic materials for spintronic devices. This web focus features a selection of articles that are related to magnetic materials for potential application in magnetoelectronic and spintronic devices. Such materials include artificial multiferroics, half metallic Heusler alloys, topological insulators, Dirac semimetals, manganites, nanofibers, and spin wave materials, as well as molecular interfaces.
Cd3As2, which is known as a topological Dirac semimetal, has been grown on mica substrates by molecular beam epitaxy with high mobility. The temperature-dependent resistance of as-grown Cd3As2 thin films showed semiconducting behavior, indicating the band gap opening as opposed to the bulk counterpart. By solid electrolyte gating, the ambipolar effect and gate-tunable quantum oscillations were clearly demonstrated. These features make the Cd3As2 thin film system a promising platform to observe various exotic phenomena and realize new electronic applications.
Reversible electric-field-driven magnetization switching between perpendicular-to-plane and in-plane orientations in Cu/Ni multilayers on ferroelectric BaTiO3 is demonstrated at room temperature. Fully deterministic magnetic switching is based on efficient strain transfer from ferroelastic domains in BaTiO3 and the high sensitivity of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Cu/Ni to electric-field-induced strain modulations. The magnetoelectric coupling effect can also be used to realize 180° magnetization reversal if the out-of-plane symmetry of magnetic anisotropy is temporarily broken by a small magnetic field.
The interplay between hybridization, orbital occupancy and spin that governs the macroscopic transport and magnetic properties of ultra-thin manganites is revealed using a combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray absorption, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and transport measurements.
A novel confinement-free synthesis of CP-HMNSFs possessing straight channels at fiber center surrounded by concentric short-pitch helical channels is discovered. The chloropropyl groups are found mainly located at central cylindrical part of the nanofibers. Helical PtCo nanowires with small and narrowly distributed radii of gyration are also fabricated, showing distinct ferromagnetic properties as compared with the straight counterparts.
By harnessing the charge transfer that takes place at the interface between a metal and a layer of molecules, the usually non-magnetic materials copper and manganese are made magnetic at room temperature.
The periodic modulation of the magnetic properties of magnonic crystals controls the flow of spin waves. An optical method is now shown that can produce such modulations by heating, which can be reprogrammed during operation.
An approach to design compensated ferrimagnetic Heusler alloys is established. A small lack of compensation produces giant exchange bias and large coercivity. This effect is observed for alloys that have the magnetic transition above room temperature.
Efficient thermal spin injection can be achieved by using CoFeAl alloy in which the sign of the Seebeck coefficients for up and down spins are opposite each other.
A group of 2D topological insulators BiX/SbX (X=H, F, Cl and Br) monolayers with extraordinarily large bulk gaps from 0.32 to a record value of 1.08 eV were predicated. These giant-gaps result from the strong spin-orbit interaction related to px and py orbitals of Bi/Sb atoms around the two valleys K and K′. The honeycomb structures of BiX monolayers remain stable even at a temperature of 600 K. The electric field-biased BiX/SbX monolayers become quantum valley Hall insulators, showing valley-selective circular dichroism. These features make the BiX/SbX monolayers an ideal platform to realize many exotic phenomena and fabricate new quantum devices.