Process gas dependence of the spin Peltier effect in Pt/Fe3O4 hybrid structures

The spin Peltier effect (SPE) in Pt/Fe3O4 hybrid structures with epitaxial Fe3O4 layers synthesized by reactive sputtering using two different process gases, Ar/O2 and Kr/O2, was investigated. The magnitude of the SPE-induced temperature modulation for the Fe3O4 film grown using Kr/O2 was approximately 40% larger than that grown using Ar/O2 despite almost the same crystalline structures and magnetic and electric properties of the films. The enhancement of the SPE signal for the film grown with Kr/O2 can be attributed to an increase in the spin current injected into the Fe3O4 film owing to its large roughness.

A new iron-phosphate compound (Fe7P11O38) obtained by pyrophosphate stoichiometric glass devitrification

Iron phosphates are a wide group of compounds that possess versatile applications. Their properties are strongly dependent on the role and position of iron in their structure. Iron, because of its chemical character, is able to easily change its redox state and accommodate different chemical surroundings. Thus, iron-phosphate crystallography is relatively complex. In addition, the compounds possess intriguing magnetic and electric properties. In this paper, we present crystal structure properties of a newly developed iron-phosphate compound that was obtained by devitrification from iron-phosphate glass of pyrophosphate stoichiometry. Based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, the new compound (Fe7P11O38) was shown to adopt the hexagonal space group P63 (No. 173) in which iron is present as Fe3+ in two inequivalent octahedral and one tetrahedral positions. The results were confirmed by Raman and Mössbauer spectroscopies, and appropriate band positions, as well as hyperfine interaction parameters, are assigned and discussed. The magnetic and electric properties of the compound were predicted by ab initio simulations. It was observed that iron magnetic moments are coupled antiferromagnetically and that the total magnetic moment of the unit cell has an integer value of 2 µB. Electronic band structure calculations showed that the material has half-metallic properties.

Recent Reports of Magneto-Mechano-Electric Conversion Composites

Magneto-mechano-electric (MME) conversion composites composed of distinctive magnetostrictive and piezoelectric materials derive interfacial coupling of magnetoelectric conversion between magnetic and electric properties, thus enabling energy harvesting and magnetic sensing. To demonstrate high-performance MME composites and their applications, various research teams have studied tailoring device structures, enhancing material properties, and developing MME application system. This article reviews the recent research progress of MME composites for energy harvesting and magnetic sensing.

Magnetic and electric properties of multiferroic LiFeP2O7. Comparison with LiCrP2O7

The temperature and magnetic field dependence of the magnetic and electric properties of LiFeP2O7 (LFPO) and LiCrP2O7 (LCPO) are studied using a microscopic model and the Green’s function technique. We have shown that LFPO is antiferromagnetic, but shows a weak ferromagnetism along the [Formula: see text] axis which originates from the canted antiferromagnetic order. For LCPO, such a ferromagnetic order along the [Formula: see text] axis is not observed. In the temperature dependence of the electrical polarization [Formula: see text] along the [Formula: see text] axis there is a kink at [Formula: see text] K which is an indirect evidence for the intrinsic magnetoelectric effect in LFPO. Applying an external magnetic field [Formula: see text], the polarization [Formula: see text] increases, stronger for small temperatures and the kink at [Formula: see text] disappears. For LCPO, we do not obtain a kink at [Formula: see text] K. LCPO is polar, but not ferroelectric. We can conclude that the missing magnetoelectric properties in LCPO could be due to the differences in the magnetic orders between LFPO and LCPO.

Magnetoelectrics: Three Centuries of Research Heading Towards the 4.0 Industrial Revolution

Magnetoelectric (ME) materials composed of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric phases have been the subject of decades of research due to their versatility and unique capability to couple the magnetic and electric properties of the matter. While these materials are often studied from a fundamental point of view, the 4.0 revolution (automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices, using modern smart technology) and the Internet of Things (IoT) context allows the perfect conditions for this type of materials being effectively/finally implemented in a variety of advanced applications. This review starts in the era of Rontgen and Curie and ends up in the present day, highlighting challenges/directions for the time to come. The main materials, configurations, ME coefficients, and processing techniques are reported.