Voltage-Control of Magnetism in All-Solid-State and Solid/Liquid Magnetoelectric Composites

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Controlling magnetism with electric fields offers energy-efficient alternatives to current-driven methods for data storage and processing.
• Magnetoelectric composites enable tunable coupling between electric and magnetic properties at material interfaces.
• Liquid-gating techniques are emerging as a novel approach for voltage control of magnetism, complementing traditional solid/solid interfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comparative overview of voltage control of magnetism in all-solid-state and solid/liquid magnetoelectric composites.
• To analyze the primary coupling mechanisms: strain, charge carrier doping, and ionic intercalation.
• To critically discuss the applicability of the magnetoelectric coupling coefficient for comparing different systems.

Main Methods:

• Review and comparison of existing literature on solid-state and liquid-gated magnetoelectric systems.
• Analysis of strain-mediated, charge doping, and ionic intercalation mechanisms.
• Critical evaluation of the magnetoelectric coupling coefficient as a universal metric.

Main Results:

• Both solid/solid and solid/liquid interfaces offer viable routes for voltage control of magnetism.
• Strain, charge doping, and ionic intercalation act as key mediators of magnetoelectric coupling.
• The common definition of the magnetoelectric coupling coefficient may not be universally suitable for comparing diverse systems.

Conclusions:

• Voltage control of magnetism in magnetoelectric composites is achievable through various mechanisms and interface types.
• Understanding the limitations of the coupling coefficient is crucial for accurate system comparison.
• Further research into novel coupling mediators and standardized characterization is warranted.