Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe1+YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Published on: March 24, 2019
Electric-Field-Induced Spin-State Reconstruction of Atomically Dispersed Fe Sites at a Ferroelectric Interface
Siying Ma1, Jinyu Zhou1, Ruisheng Zhang2
1National Laboratory of Solid States Microstructures, School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing210093, P. R. China.
None:
Dynamic spin-state modulation of atomically dispersed metal sites offers a promising route to optimize catalytic reactions, yet most strategies rely on static coordination structures fixed during synthesis. Here, we report electric-field-induced spin-state reconstruction of atomically dispersed Fe sites anchored at a ferroelectric Ni(DPA)2 interface. Fe sites were introduced by controlled Fe(III)-mediated etching and stabilized through interfacial Fe-O/Fe-N coordination. Density functional theory calculations reveal that electric-field-enhanced ferroelectric polarization drives asymmetric charge redistribution at the interface, promotes electron transfer to Fe centers, and weakens the local coordination field by transforming Fe from a planar four-coordinate geometry toward an unsaturated three-coordinate configuration. Spin-projected density of states and magnetic measurements indicate that a substantial fraction of Fe(III) centers is converted into higher-spin states. Benefiting from high-spin Fe sites and improved interfacial charge transfer, Fe-Ni(DPA)2 delivers efficient oxygen evolution activity. This work establishes ferroelectric interfaces as field-responsive platforms for dynamic spin engineering.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview
Ferromagnetism
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Induced Electric Dipoles
Since the absolute value of potential energy holds no physical meaning, its zero value can be chosen as per...
Induced Electric Fields
Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
