Abstract
Multiferroic materials possess electric and magnetic orderings simultaneously, making it possible to manipulate the electric state of a multiferroic by magnetic field, or vice versa. Among all single-phase multiferroics, BiFeO 3 is particularly exciting, for its room temperature multiferroicity, excellent ferroelectric properties, and recently demonstrated electric control of antiferromagnetic domains, which opens door for its applications in spintronics. In this paper, we report a systematic theoretical and computational study on the structure and evolution of magnetoelectric domains in multiferroic BiFeO 3. A continuum description is developed for antiferromagnetic ordering first, which is then incorporated into an unconventional phase field method that couples ferroelastic, ferroelectric, and antiferromagnetic orderings through the characteristic function of variants. The internal elastic, electric, and magnetic fields are carefully analyzed, taking into account both bulk and thin film geometries and boundary conditions. The theory is implemented into numerical simulations, where we not only observe the coupled ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic domains, and demonstrate the electric control of antiferromagnetic ordering, but also reveal the switching of antiferromagnetic domains by mechanical stress that is yet to be reported in experiment. Our study offers deep insight into the microstructural evolution and macroscopic properties of BiFeO 3, and provides a powerful tool to study a wide range of multiferroic materials with magnetoelectric coupling.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.