Reversible Ferromagnetic Phase Transition in Electrode-Gated Manganites

摘要

The electronic phase transition has been considered as a dominant factor in the phenomena of colossal magnetoresistance, metal-insulator transition, and exchange bias in correlated electron systems. However, the effective manipulation of the electronic phase transition has remained a challenging issue. Here, the reversible control of ferromagnetic phase transition in manganite films through ionic liquid gating is reported. Under different gate voltages, the formation and annihilation of an insulating and magnetically hard phase in the magnetically soft matrix, which randomly nucleates and grows across the film instead of initiating at the surface and spreading to the bottom, is directly observed. This discovery provides a conceptually novel vision for the electric-field tuning of phase transition in correlated oxides. In addition to its fundamental significance, the realization of a reversible metal-insulator transition in colossal magnetoresistance materials will also further the development of four-state memories, which can be manipulated by a combination of electrode gating and the application of a magnetic field.