Magnetoelectric coupling induced multistate magnetization

Complex oxides provide an ideal playground for exploring the interplay among the fundamental degrees of freedom: structural (lattice), electronic (orbital and charge), and magnetic (spin). With trends toward device miniaturization, there is growing interest in combining electronic and magnetic properties into multifunctional thin-film materials for potential applications in novel versatile devices. Here, we report growth of ferromagnetic nanostructures on ferroelectric (1−x)[Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃] − x[PbTiO₃] (PMN-PT) single crystals. With careful control of material composition and application of electric field direction and amplitude, we realized stabilization of both monoclinic and orthorhombic phases in the PMN-PT single crystals with the intrinsic rhombohedral phase. Multistate magnetization modulation has been realized through phase transformation control in the ferroelectric component. This finding promises multistate information recording through magnetoelectric effect.