Non-volatile ferroelastic switching of the Verwey transition and resistivity of epitaxial Fe₃O₄ /PMN-PT (011)

A central goal of electronics based on correlated materials or 'Mottronics' is the ability to switch between distinct collective states with a control voltage. Small changes in structure and charge density near a transition can tip the balance between competing phases, leading to dramatic changes in electronic and magnetic properties. In this work, we demonstrate that an electric field induced two-step ferroelastic switching pathway in (011) oriented 0.71Pb(Mg _1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.29PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) substrates can be used to tune the Verwey metal-insulator transition in epitaxial Fe₃O₄ films in a stable and reversible manner. We also observe robust non-volatile resistance switching in Fe₃O ₄ up to room temperature, driven by ferroelastic strain. These results provides a framework for realizing non-volatile and reversible tuning of order parameters coupled to lattice-strain in epitaxial oxide heterostructures over a broad range of temperatures, with potential device applications.