PNNL

Abstract

Multiferroics, where (anti-) ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, and ferroelastic order parameters coexist [1-5], enables manipulation of magnetic ordering by electric field through switching of the electric polarization [6-9]. It has been shown that realization of magnetoelectric coupling in single-phase multiferroic such as BiFeO3 requires ferroelastic (71o, 109o) rather than ferroelectric (180o) domain switching [6]. However, the control of such ferroleastic switching in a singlephase system has been a significant challenge as elastic interactions tend to destabilize small switched volumes, resulting in subsequent ferroelastic backswitching at zero electric field, thus disappearance of nonvolatile information storage [10, 11]. Guided by our phase-field simulations, we here report an approach to stabilize ferroelastic switching by eliminating the stress-induced instability responsible for back-switching using isolated monodomain BiFeO3islands. This work demonstrates a critical step to control and utilize nonvolatile magnetoelectric coupling at the nanoscale. Beyond magnetoelectric coupling, it provides a framework for exploring a route to control multiple order parameters coupled to ferroelastic order in other low-symmetry materials.