Room-temperature giant magnetotranstance effect in single-phase multiferroics

TL;DR

This paper reports a groundbreaking room-temperature giant magnetoelectric effect in single-phase multiferroics, demonstrating a large change in properties under low magnetic fields, which could enable practical applications.

Contribution

It reveals a giant magnetotranstance effect in single-phase multiferroics at room temperature, a significant advancement over previous weak effects in such materials.

Findings

Giant magnetoelectric coefficient change under 1000 Oe magnetic field

Comparable to giant magnetoresistance in magnetic multilayers

Potential for practical applications in multiferroic devices

Abstract

Single-phase multiferroic materials are usually considered useless because of the weak magnetoelectric effects, low operating temperature, and small electric polarization induced by magnetic orders. As a result, current studies on applications of the magnetoelectric effects are mainly focusing on multiferroic heterostructures and composites. Here we report a room-temperature giant effect in response to external magnetic fields in single-phase multiferroics. A low magnetic field of 1000 Oe applied on the spin-driven multiferroic hexaferrites BaSrCo2Fe11AlO22 and Ba0.9Sr1.1Co2Fe11AlO22 is able to cause a huge change in the linear magnetoelectric coefficient by several orders, leading to a giant magnetotranstance (GMT) effect at room temperature. The GMT effect is comparable to the well-known giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect in magnetic multilayers, and thus opens up a door toward practical applications for single-phase multiferroics.