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1. Domain-wall magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroic hexagonal YbFeO3 films

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28365-x  

   Li, Xin; Yun, Yu; Thind, Arashdeep Singh; Yin, Yuewei; Li, Qiang; Wang, Wenbin; N’Diaye, Alpha T.; Mellinger, Corbyn; Jiang, Xuanyuan; Mishra, Rohan; et al (December 2023, Scientific Reports)

   Abstract 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-YbFeO₃thin 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. 

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2. Scanning SQUID characterization of strained multiferroic iron substituted gadolinium orthochromite thin film

   https://doi.org/10.1063/9.0000888  

   Bedard, J; Pfund, J; Jain, M; Sochnikov, I (March 2025, AIP Advances)

   Canted antiferromagnets GdCrO3 and GdFeO3 have drawn extensive attention due to large magnetoelectric effects, although low temperature multiferroic ordering currently limits possible applications. Iron substitution into GdCrO3 increases both antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric transition temperatures. Room temperature magnetoelectric coupling in a single-phase material has yet to be realized. Here, we report the synthesis of a strained GdFe0.5Cr0.5O3 thin film grown on SrTiO3 and investigation of magnetic domain structure and temperature dependence with scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscopy. Magnetic domain structure remains above 70 K although magnetization of the domain dramatically decreases, which is consistent with bulk hysteresis measurements, in contrast to unstrained samples previously studied. Our results suggest strain tuning Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions in GdFe0.5Cr0.5O3 offers a route to control multiferroic properties in this family of materials. 

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3. Discovery of a layered multiferroic compound Cu _1−x Mn _1+y SiTe ₃ with strong magnetoelectric coupling

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp9379  

   De, Chandan; Liu, Yu; Ayyagari, Sai_Venkata Gayathri; Zheng, Boyang; Kelley, Kyle P; Hazra, Sankalpa; He, Jingyang; Pawledzio, Sylwia; Mali, Subin; Guchhait, Samaresh; et al (January 2025, Science Advances)

   Multiferroic materials host both ferroelectricity and magnetism, offering potential for magnetic memory and spin transistor applications. Here, we report a multiferroic chalcogenide semiconductor Cu_1−xMn_1+ySiTe₃(0.04 ≤x≤ 0.26; 0.03 ≤y≤ 0.15), which crystallizes in a polar monoclinic structure (Pmspace group). It exhibits a canted antiferromagnetic state below 35 kelvin, with magnetic hysteresis and remanent magnetization under 15 kelvin. We demonstrate multiferroicity and strong magnetoelectric coupling through magnetodielectric and magnetocurrent measurements. At 10 kelvin, the magnetically induced electric polarization reaches ~0.8 microcoulombs per square centimeter, comparable to the highest value in oxide multiferroics. We also observe possible room-temperature ferroelectricity. Given that multiferroicity is very rare among transition metal chalcogenides, our finding sets up a unique materials platform for designing multiferroic chalcogenides. 

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4. Room temperature ferroelectricity and self-biased magnetoelectricity in SmFeO3 nanocomposite by 3D strain engineering

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0279174  

   Bansal, Manisha; Keeney, Lynette; Choudhury, Abhijeet; Huang, Jialong; Wang, Haiyan; MacManus-Driscoll, Judith L; Maity, Tuhin (September 2025, APL Electronic Devices)

   Tuning spin and charge degrees of freedom of complex oxide materials can enable significant advancements in future spintronics. In this study, by three dimensional strain engineering, we demonstrate room temperature ferroelectricity and magnetoelectricity in a vertically aligned nanocomposite thin film structure, composed of vertical nanopillars of SmFeO3 (SFO) embedded within the NiFeO4 (NFO) matrix. A three-dimensional tensile strain is induced in the SFO as a result of the unique film architecture. The tensile strain in SFO produces strong room temperature ferroelectric response instead of the normally very weak ferroelectricity of unstrained SFO, which is an improper ferroelectric. The induced ferroelectricity in SFO enables self-biased magnetoelectric coupling to be achieved between the two phases (magnetoelectric coupling coefficient ∼4 × 10−11 sm−1 at room temperature). The magnetoelectric coupling is facilitated by strain transfer across the vertical interfaces of the two phases. We additionally observe an exchange bias of ∼200 Oe (at 2 K) surviving up to the room temperature, indicating strongly coupled interfaces of SFO and NFO. These findings represent a step forward in future magnetoelectric RAM devices. 

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5. Magnetoelectric Effects in Bilayers of PZT and Co and Ti Substituted M-Type Hexagonal Ferrites

   https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs9070336  

   Saha, Sujoy; Acharya, Sabita; Menon, Sidharth; Bidthanapally, Rao; Page, Michael R; Jain, Menka; Srinivasan, Gopalan (June 2025, Journal of Composites Science)

   This report is on Co and Ti substituted M-type barium and strontium hexagonal ferrites that are reported to be single phase multiferroics due to a transition from Neel type ferrimagnetic order to a spiral spin structure that is accompanied by a ferroelectric polarization in an applied magnetic field. The focus here is the nature of magnetoelectric (ME) interactions in the bilayers of ferroelectric PZT and Co and Ti substituted BaM and SrM. The ME coupling in the ferrite-PZT bilayers arise due to the transfer of magnetostriction-induced mechanical deformation in a magnetic field in the ferrite resulting in an induced electric field in PZT. Polycrystalline Co and Ti doped ferrites, Ba (CoTi)x Fe12−2xO19, (BCTx), and Sr (CoTi)x Fe12−2xO19 (SCTx) (x = 0–4) were found to be free of impurity phases for all x-values except for SCTx, which had a small amount of α-Fe2O3 in the X-ray diffraction patterns for x ≤ 2.0. The magnetostriction for the ferrites increased with applied filed H to a maximum value of around 2 to 6 ppm for H~5 kOe. BCTx/SCTx samples showed ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) for x = 1.5–2.0, and the estimated anisotropy field was on the order of 5 kOe. The magnetization increased with the amount of Co and Ti doping, and it decreased rapidly with x for x > 1.0. Measurements of ME coupling strengths were conducted on the bilayers of BCTx/SCTx platelets bonded to PZT. The bilayer was subjected to an AC and DC magnetic field H, and the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient (MEVC) was measured as a function of H and frequency of the AC field. For BCTx-PZT, the maximum value of MEVC at low frequency was ~5 mV/cm Oe, and a 40-fold increase at electromechanical resonance (EMR). SCTx–PZT composites also showed a similar behavior with the highest MEVC value of ~14 mV/cm Oe at low frequencies and ~200 mV/cm Oe at EMR. All the bilayers showed ME coupling for zero magnetic bias due to the magnetocrystalline anisotropy field in the ferrite that provided a built-in bias field. 

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