Effect of oxidation of the ultrathin Fe electrode material on the strength of magnetoelectric coupling in composite multiferroics

摘要

We present an ab initio study of the effect of iron oxidation on magnetoelectric coupling which appears at the ferromagnet/ferroelectric interface, such as Fe_2/ATiO_3(001) (A = Ba,Pb). The oxygen coverage, c, ranging between one half and two adsorbed O per each Fe atom was simulated within a slab geometry. Since the change in magnetization induced by electric polarization reversal remains robust below c<3/2, we suggest that the surface oxidation of composite multiferroics will not significantly damage their switchable magneto-electricity.