Nanoripple patterns with long-range order have been fabricated on amorphous dielectric films by Xe + ion etching. They are used as templates to elaborate organized arrays of aligned Ag nanoparticles by grazing incidence ion-beam sputtering. The particles present an ellipsoidal shape with a major axis parallel to the ripples. Optical calculations show that both the spatial organization and shape anisotropies contribute to a strong dependence of the surface-plasmon resonance of the nanocomposite films on the orientation of the electric field.
In multiferroic BiFeO(3) thin films grown on highly mismatched LaAlO(3) substrates, we reveal the coexistence of two differently distorted polymorphs that leads to striking features in the temperature dependence of the structural and multiferroic properties. Notably, the highly distorted phase quasiconcomitantly presents an abrupt structural change, transforms from a standard to a nonconventional ferroelectric, and transitions from antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic at 360±20 K. These coupled ferroic transitions just above room temperature hold promises of giant piezoelectric, magnetoelectric, and piezomagnetic responses, with potential in many applications fields.
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