Nonvolatile Electrical Control and Heterointerface‐Induced Half‐Metallicity of 2D Ferromagnets. (15th April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhao, Yinghe; Zhang, Jun‐Jie; Yuan, Shijun; Chen, Zhongfang
• Is Part Of: Advanced functional materials. Volume 29:Number 24(2019)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2019-04-15
• Subjects: 2D ferroelectricity -- 2D ferromagnetism -- CrI3 -- half‐metal -- MXenes; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201901420
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1616-301X

Abstract

Abstract: Electrical control of atom‐thick van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnets is a key toward future magnetoelectric nanodevices; however, state‐of‐the‐art control approaches are volatile. In this work, introducing ferroelectric switching as an aided layer is demonstrated to be an effective approach toward achieving nonvolatile electrical control of 2D ferromagnets. For example, when a ferromagnetic monolayer CrI3 and ferroelectric MXene Sc2 CO2 come together into multiferroic heterostructures, CrI3 is controlled by polarized states P↑ and P↓ of Sc2 CO2 . P↑ Sc2 CO2 does not change the semiconducting nature of CrI3, but surprisingly P↓ Sc2 CO2 makes CrI3 half‐metallic. Nonvolatility of the electrical switching between two oppositely ferroelectric polarized states, therefore, indirectly enables nonvolatile electrical control of CrI3 between ferromagnetic semiconductor and half‐metal. The heterointerface‐induced half‐metallicity in CrI3 is intrinsic without resorting to any chemical functionalization or external physical modification, which is rather beneficial to the practical application. This work paves the way for nonvolatile electrical control of 2D vdW ferromagnets and applications of CrI3 in half‐metal‐based nanospintronics. Abstract : In CrI3 /MXene Sc2 CO2 multiferroic heterostructures, CrI3 is coupled with polarized states P↑ and P↓ of Sc2 CO2 . P↑ Sc2 CO2 does not change the semiconducting nature of CrI3, but P↓ Sc2 CO2 makes CrI3 half‐metallic. Thus, nonvolatile electrical control of 2D ferromagnets can be achieved by introducing ferroelectric switching, and heterointerface engineering is an effective method to modulate 2D ferromagnets into half‐metals.