Two Dimensional Ir-Cluster Lattices on Moir\'e of Graphene with Ir(111)

Lattices of Ir clusters have been grown by vapor phase deposition on graphene moir\'{e}s on Ir(111). The clusters are highly ordered, spatially and thermally stable below 500K. Their narrow size distribution is tunable from 4 to about 130 atoms. A model for cluster binding to the graphene is presented based on scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory. The proposed binding mechanism suggests that similar cluster lattices might be grown of materials other than Ir.Comment: Submitted to PRL on 27Apr0

Hydrogen-induced reversible spin-reorientation transition and magnetic stripe domain phase in bilayer Co on Ru(0001)

Imaging the change in the magnetization vector in real time by spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy, we observed a hydrogen-induced, reversible spin-reorientation transition in a cobalt bilayer on Ru(0001). Initially, hydrogen sorption reduces the size of out-of-plane magnetic domains and leads to the formation of a magnetic stripe domain pattern, which can be understood as a consequence of reducing the out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy. Further hydrogen sorption induces a transition to an in-plane easy-axis. Desorbing the hydrogen by heating the film to 400 K recovers the original out-of-plane magnetization. By means of ab-initio calculations we determine that the origin of the transition is the local effect of the hybridization of the hydrogen orbital and the orbitals of the Co atoms bonded to the absorbed hydrogen.Comment: 5 figure

Evidence for Surface Effects on the Intermolecular Interactions in Fe (II) Spin Crossover Coordination Polymers

From X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) it is evident that the spin state transition behavior of Fe(II) spin crossover coordination polymer crystallites at the surface differs from the bulk. A comparison of four different coordination polymers reveals that the observed surface properties may differ from bulk for a variety of reasons. There are Fe(II) spin crossover coordination polymers with either almost complete switching of the spin state at the surface or no switching at all. Oxidation, differences in surface packing, and changes in coordination could all contribute to making the surface very different from the bulk. Some Fe(II) spin crossover coordination polymers may be sufficiently photoactive so that X-ray spectroscopies cannot discern the spin state transition

Domain‑wall magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroic hexagonal YbFeO\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e films

Electrical modulation of magnetic states in single-phase multiferroic materials, using domain-wall magnetoelectric (ME) coupling, can be enhanced substantially by controlling the population density of the ferroelectric (FE) domain walls during polarization switching. In this work, we investigate the domain-wall ME coupling in multiferroic h-YbFeO3 thin films, in which the FE domain walls induce clamped antiferromagnetic (AFM) domain walls with reduced magnetization magnitude. Simulation according to the phenomenological theory indicates that the domain-wall ME effect is dramatically enhanced when the separation between the FE domain walls shrinks below the characteristic width of the clamped AFM domain walls during the ferroelectric switching. Experimentally, we show that while the magnetization magnitude remains same for both the positive and the negative saturation polarization states, there is evidence of magnetization reduction at the coercive voltages. These results suggest that the domain-wall ME effect is viable for electrical control of magnetization

Real-space imaging of the Verwey transition at the (100) surface of magnetite

5 pags, 4 figsEffects of the Verwey transition on the (100) surface of magnetite were studied using scanning tunneling microscopy and spin polarized low-energy electron microscopy. On cooling through the transition temperature T V, the initially flat surface undergoes a rooflike distortion with a periodicity of ∼0.5 μm due to ferroelastic twinning within monoclinic domains of the low-temperature monoclinic structure. The monoclinic c axis orients in the surface plane, along the [001]c directions. At the atomic scale, the charge-ordered (√2×√2)R45 â̂̃ reconstruction of the (100) surface is unperturbed by the bulk transition, and is continuous over the twin boundaries. Time resolved low-energy electron microscopy movies reveal the structural transition to be first order at the surface, indicating that the bulk transition is not an extension of the Verwey-like (√2×√2)R45 â̂̃ reconstruction. Although conceptually similar, the charge-ordered phases of the (100) surface and sub-TV bulk of magnetite are unrelated phenomena. © 2013 American Physical Society.This research was supported by the Spanish Government through Projects No. MAT2009-14578-C03-01 and No. MAT2012-38045-C04-01, by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials and Engineering Sciences, US Department of Energy under Contract No. AC0205CH11231, and by the Centre for Atomic-Leve lCatalyst Design, an Energy Frontier Research Centre funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award No. DE-SC0001058. The work at Tulane is supported by the NSF under Grant No. DMR-1205469. G.S.P. acknowledges support from the Austrian Science Fund Project No. P24925-N20

Nonvolatile voltage controlled molecular spin‐state switching for memory applications

Nonvolatile, molecular multiferroic devices have now been demonstrated, but it is worth giving some consideration to the issue of whether such devices could be a competitive alternative for solid-state nonvolatile memory. For the Fe (II) spin crossover complex [Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)], where pz = tris(pyrazol-1-yl)-borohydride and bipy = 2,20-bipyridine, voltage-controlled isothermal changes in the electronic structure and spin state have been demonstrated and are accompanied by changes in conductance. Higher conductance is seen with [Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)] in the high spin state, while lower conductance occurs for the low spin state. Plausibly, there is the potential here for low-cost molecular solid-state memory because the essential molecular thin films are easily fabricated. However, successful device fabrication does not mean a device that has a practical value. Here, we discuss the progress and challenges yet facing the fabrication of molecular multiferroic devices, which could be considered competitive to silicon

Controllable Growth of Vertically Aligned Graphene on C-face SiC

We investigated how to control the growth of vertically aligned graphene on C-face SiC by varying the processing conditions. It is found that, the growth rate scales with the annealing temperature and the graphene height is proportional to the annealing time. Temperature gradient and crystalline quality of the SiC substrates influence their vaporization. The partial vapor pressure is crucial as it can interfere with further vaporization. A growth mechanism is proposed in terms of physical vapor transport. The monolayer character of vertically aligned graphene is verified by Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. With the processed samples, d0 magnetism is realized and negative magnetoresistance is observed after Cu implantation. We also prove that multiple carriers exist in vertically aligned graphene

Electronic structure and direct observation of ferrimagnetism in multiferroic hexagonal YbFeO3

The magnetic interactions between rare-earth and Fe ions in hexagonal rare-earth ferrites (h-RFeO3), may amplify the weak ferromagnetic moment on Fe, making these materials more appealing as multiferroics. To elucidate the interaction strength between the rare-earth and Fe ions as well as the magnetic moment of the rare-earth ions, element-specific magnetic characterization is needed. Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we have studied the ferrimagnetism in h-YbFeO3 by measuring the magnetization of Fe and Yb separately. The results directly show antialignment of magnetization of Yb and Fe ions in h-YbFeO3 at low temperature, with an exchange field on Yb of about 17 kOe. The magnetic moment of Yb is about 1.6μB at low temperature, significantly reduced compared with the 4.5 μB moment of a free Yb3+. In addition, the saturation magnetization of Fe in h-YbFeO3 has a sizable enhancement compared with that in h-LuFeO3. These findings directly demonstrate that ferrimagnetic order exists in h-YbFeO3; they also account for the enhancement of magnetization and the reduction of coercivity in h-YbFeO3 compared with those in h-LuFeO3 at low temperature, suggesting an important role for the rare-earth ions in tuning the multiferroic properties of h-RFeO3

Mössbauer and Magnetic Properties of Coherently Mixed Magnetite-Cobalt Ferrite Grown by Infrared Pulsed-Laser Deposition

We have studied the magnetic properties and the composition of cobalt ferrite single crystal films on SrTiO3 : Nb grown by infrared pulsed-laser deposition. Mössbauer spectra have been recorded from both the target used to grow the films and the films themselves. The Mössbauer spectra of the target taken at low temperatures show a strong dependence of the recoil free fraction of the octahedral sites with temperature. The films composition, with a coexistence of Co-enriched cobalt ferrite and magnetite, has been estimated assuming a similar ratio of the recoil free fractions of the films. X-ray absorption and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements confirm the valence composition of the film and show ferromagnetic Fe-Co coupling in the films with a coercive field around 0.5 T at room temperature. The combination of these characterization techniques allows establishing the coherent structural and magnetic properties of this biphase system

Nonvolatile Voltage Controlled Molecular Spin-State Switching for Memory Applications

Nonvolatile, molecular multiferroic devices have now been demonstrated, but it is worth giving some consideration to the issue of whether such devices could be a competitive alternative for solid-state nonvolatile memory. For the Fe (II) spin crossover complex [Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)], where pz = tris(pyrazol-1-yl)-borohydride and bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine, voltage-controlled isothermal changes in the electronic structure and spin state have been demonstrated and are accompanied by changes in conductance. Higher conductance is seen with [Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)] in the high spin state, while lower conductance occurs for the low spin state. Plausibly, there is the potential here for low-cost molecular solid-state memory because the essential molecular thin films are easily fabricated. However, successful device fabrication does not mean a device that has a practical value. Here, we discuss the progress and challenges yet facing the fabrication of molecular multiferroic devices, which could be considered competitive to silicon