Nonvolatile switchable half-metallicity and magnetism in the MXene Hf₂MnC₂O₂/Sc₂CO₂ multiferroic heterostructure

Nonvolatile electrical control of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) magnetism is important for spintronic devices. Here, using first-principles calculations, we systematically investigated the magnetic properties of the MXene Hf₂MnC₂O₂ combined with the ferroelectric MXene Sc₂CO₂. When flipping the electric polarization of Sc₂CO₂, a transition between a semiconductor and a half-metal occurs in the Hf₂MnC₂O₂ monolayer. Moreover, the ferromagnetic exchange parameter J₁ can be enhanced to 9.67 meV under polarized P↑ of Sc₂CO₂, much larger than those of the pristine Hf₂MnC₂O₂ monolayer and Hf₂MnC₂O₂/Sc₂CO₂-P↓. In addition, the easy magnetization axis of the Hf₂MnC₂O₂ monolayer is also dependent on the polarization orientation of Sc₂CO₂. Our results indicate a multiferroic heterostructure based on MXenes, offering an effective way for obtaining nonvolatile electrical control of electronic and magnetic properties.