Superconductivity and charge density wave (CDW) appear in the phase diagram of a variety of materials including the high-Tc cuprate family and many transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Their interplay may give rise to exotic quantum phenomena. Here, we show that superconducting arrays can spontaneously form in TiSe2–a TMD with coexisting superconductivity and CDW—after lithium ion intercalation. We induce a superconducting dome in the phase diagram of LixTiSe2 by using the ionic solid-state gating technique. Around optimal doping, we observe magnetoresistance oscillations, indicating the emergence of periodically arranged domains. In the same temperature, magnetic field and carrier density regime where the resistance oscillations occur, we observe signatures for the anomalous metal—a state with a resistance plateau across a wide temperature range below the superconducting transition. Our study not only sheds further insight into the mechanism for the periodic electronic structure, but also reveals the interplay between the anomalous metal and superconducting fluctuations.

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We report giant magnetoelectric coupling at room temperature in a self-assembled nanocomposite of BiFeO3-CoFe2O4 (BFO-CFO) grown on a BaTiO3 (BTO) crystal. The nanocomposite consisting of CFO nanopillars embedded in a BFO matrix exhibits weak perpendicular magnetic anisotropy due to a small out-of-plane compression (∼0.3%) of the magnetostrictive (CFO) phase, enabling magnetization rotation under moderate in-plane compression. Temperature dependent magnetization measurements demonstrate strong magnetoelastic coupling between the BaTiO3 substrate and the nanocomposite film, which has been exploited to produce a large magnetoelectric response in the sample. The reorientation of ferroelectric domains in the BTO crystal upon the application of an electric field (E) alters the strain state of the nanocomposite film, thus enabling control of its magnetic anisotropy. The strain mediated magnetoelectric coupling coefficient α=μodM/dE  calculated from remnant magnetization at room temperature is 2.6 × 10−7 s m−1 and 1.5 × 10−7 s m−1 for the out-of-plane and in-plane orientations, respectively.

Ion injection controlled by electric field has attracted growing attention due to its tunability over bulk-like materials. Here, we achieve protonation of an electron-doped high-temperature superconductor, La2–x Ce x CuO4, by gating in the electrochemical regime of the ionic liquid. Such a process induces a superconductor–insulator transition together with the crossing of the Fermi surface reconstruction point. Applying negative voltages not only can reverse the protonation process but also recovers superconductivity in samples deteriorated by moisture in the ambient. Our work extends the application of electric-field-induced protonation into high-temperature cuprate superconductors.

Multiferroic heteroepitaxial nanocomposite films of BaTiO3 and CoFe2O4 (CFO) have been grown by pulsed laser deposition employing alternating ablation of two ceramic targets. Films grown at temperatures between 650 °C and 710 °C contain columnar CFO grains about 10–20 nm in diameter embedded in a BaTiO3 matrix. The very strong vertical compression of these grains causes large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Post-growth annealing treatments above the growth temperature gradually release the compression. This allows one to tune the stress-induced magnetic anisotropy. Additionally, annealing leads to substantial enhancement of the saturation magnetization MS. Since MS of a pure CFO film remains unchanged by a similar annealing procedure, MS is proposed to depend on the volume fraction of the obtained CFO phase. We suggest that MS can be utilized to monitor the degree of phase separation in nanocomposite films.

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