Electric manipulation of magnetism in bilayer van der Waals magnets.

The ferromagnetism of the two dimensional (2D) CrGeTe atomic layers with the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and the Curie temperature 30-50 K has recently been experimentally confirmed. By performing the density-functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that the magnetic properties of bilayer CrGeTe can be flexibly tailored, due to the effective band structure tuning by the external electric field. The electric field induces the semiconductor-metal transition and redistributes charge and spin between the two layers.

First-principles investigation of the interface magnetic anisotropy of Fe/SrTiO.

Interface effects in magnetic nanostructures play a critical role in the magnetic properties. By using first-principles density functional theory calculations, we investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of Fe/SrTiO interfaces, in which both the nonpolar surface SrTiO(0 0 1) and the polar surface SrTiO(1 1 0) are considered. A particular emphasis is placed on the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE).

Electrically induced 2D half-metallic antiferromagnets and spin field effect transistors.

Engineering the electronic band structure of material systems enables the unprecedented exploration of new physical properties that are absent in natural or as-synthetic materials. Half metallicity, an intriguing physical property arising from the metallic nature of electrons with singular spin polarization and insulating for oppositely polarized electrons, holds a great potential for a 100% spin-polarized current for high-efficiency spintronics. Conventionally synthesized thin films hardly sustain half metallicity inherited from their 3D counterparts.