Interfacial magnetoelectric coupling is a viable path to achieve electrical writing of magnetic information in spintronic devices. For the prototypical Fe/BaTiO3 system, only tiny changes of the interfacial Fe magnetic moment upon reversal of the BaTiO3 dielectric polarization have been predicted so far. Here, by using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism in combination with high resolution electron microscopy and first principles calculations, we report on an undisclosed physical mechanism for interfacial magnetoelectric coupling in the Fe/BaTiO3 system. At this interface, an ultrathin oxidized iron layer exists, whose magnetization can be electrically and reversibly switched on-off at room-temperature by reversing the BaTiO3 polarization. The suppression / recovery of interfacial ferromagnetism results from the asymmetric effect that ionic displacements in BaTiO3 produces on the exchange coupling constants in the interfacial oxidized Fe layer. The observed giant magnetoelectric response holds potential for optimizing interfacial magnetoelectric coupling in view of efficient, low-power spintronic devices.

Pt/BaTiO3/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 tunnel junctions, at negative voltage bias, for two polarization directions are represented. It is demonstrated that reversing the polarization direction of a ferroelectric barrier in a tunnel junction leads to a change of junction conductance and capacitance, with concomitant variations on the barrier height and effective thickness, both contributing to produce larger electroresistance.

This communication presents a novel electrolyte gated field-effect transistor based on a blend of dibenzo-tetrathiafulvalene and polystyrene deposited through bar-assisted meniscus shearing. This technique allows the fabrication of high performing electronic devices suitable for (bio)sensing applications and might capture industrial interest due to its scalability. The reported devices can operate in aqueous solution with comparable complexity to real samples.

The magnetotransport phase diagram of half-doped manganites Ln0.5A0.5MnO3 (Ln=La3+, Nd3+, etc., and A=Sr2+, Ca2+, etc.) is primarily dictated by the bare conduction bandwith (W0), which itself is controlled by the Mn-O-Mn bond angle, and the carrier concentration. In thin films, epitaxial strain (ε) provides an additional tool to tune W0 by selecting orbital ordering at fixed carrier concentration. Here, we will show that compressive or tensile epitaxial strain on half-doped manganites can have a tremendous and distinct effect on La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 (LSMO5) and La0.5Ca0.5MnO3 (LCMO5), having broad or narrow W0, respectively. It is found that in LSMO5, large compressive strain triggers a change from a ferromagnetic and metallic ground state to an insulating and antiferromagnetic state whereas a tensile strain produces an antiferromagnetic but metallic state. In contrast, under strain, LCMO5 remains an antiferromagnetic insulator irrespectively of the strain state. These results illustrate that orbital ordering largely depends on the interplay between W0 and ε and provide a guideline towards responsive manganite layers