Piezoelectric materials, which convert mechanical to electrical energy and vice versa, are typically characterized by the intimate coexistence of two phases across a morphotropic phase boundary. Electrically switching one to the other yields large electromechanical coupling coefficients. Driven by global environmental concerns, there is currently a strong push to discover practical lead-free piezoelectrics for device engineering. Using a combination of epitaxial growth techniques in conjunction with theoretical approaches, we show the formation of a morphotropic phase boundary through epitaxial constraint in lead-free piezoelectric bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) films. Electric field-dependent studies show that a tetragonal-like phase can be reversibly converted into a rhombohedral-like phase, accompanied by measurable displacements of the surface, making this new lead-free system of interest for probe-based data storage and actuator applications.

Multiferroics, where (anti-) ferromagnetic, ferroelectric and ferroelastic order parameters coexist, enable manipulation of magnetic ordering by an electric field through switching of the electric polarization. It has been shown that realization of magnetoelectric coupling in a single-phase multiferroic such as BiFeO(3) requires ferroelastic (71 degrees, 109 degrees) rather than ferroelectric (180 degrees) domain switching. However, the control of such ferroelastic switching in a single-phase system has been a significant challenge as elastic interactions tend to destabilize small switched volumes, resulting in subsequent ferroelastic back-switching at zero electric field, and thus the disappearance of non-volatile information storage. Guided by our phase-field simulations, here we report an approach to stabilize ferroelastic switching by eliminating the stress-induced instability responsible for back-switching using isolated monodomain BiFeO(3) islands. This work demonstrates a critical step to control and use non-volatile magnetoelectric coupling at the nanoscale. Beyond magnetoelectric coupling, it provides a framework for exploring a route to control multiple order parameters coupled to ferroelastic order in other low-symmetry materials.

The control of material interfaces at the atomic level has led to novel interfacial properties and functionalities. In particular, the study of polar discontinuities at interfaces between complex oxides lies at the frontier of modern condensed matter research. Here we employ a combination of experimental measurements and theoretical calculations to demonstrate the control of a bulk property, namely ferroelectric polarization, of a heteroepitaxial bilayer by precise atomic-scale interface engineering. More specifically, the control is achieved by exploiting the interfacial valence mismatch to influence the electrostatic potential step across the interface, which manifests itself as the biased-voltage in ferroelectric hysteresis loops and determines the ferroelectric state. A broad study of diverse systems comprising different ferroelectrics and conducting perovskite underlayers extends the generality of this phenomenon.complex oxide | heterostructure | interface physics | electronic reconstruction | polar discontinuity O ver the past few years, precisely constructed, atomically sharp perovskite oxide heterointerfaces have become focal points for condensed-matter-physics and materials science research (1-5). The incorporation and reconstruction of spin (6, 7), charge (8-10), and orbital (11) degrees of freedom across the heterointerfaces have led to novel electronic properties that are different from those inherent to the individual components. For example, pioneering work on the LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 (STO) heterostructures has revealed a nontrivial two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) (10,12,13) at the interface, which also exhibits magnetic (14) and even superconductivity properties (15) that are induced by the polar discontinuity (16) (valence mismatch) across the interface.Motivated by this, research nowadays is primarily focused on probing and understanding the novel interfacial phenomena observed in complex-oxide heterostructures. However, the focus on interfacial properties sidesteps possible macroscopic implications of the interfacial atomic-scale control on the broad range of properties that are present in bulk complex oxides. On the other hand, in the semiconductor industry, atomic-scale interface engineering has long been used to improve the performance of devices through control of the threshold voltage (17), channel carrier mobility (18), Schottky barrier height (19), and so on. This forms the fundamental premise for this work: Can we control the bulk properties of a heterostructured system through the emergent state of matter at the interface? Such an approach could be particularly intriguing if one of the layers is highly polar and electrically switchable, i.e., ferroelectric in nature. Because functional ferroelectric systems, such as the nonvolatile memory (20), ferroelectric field effect transistor (21, 22), ferroelectric tunnel junction (23-27), and switching photo-diode (28), are strongly correlated with the interface electronic structures, it is of great importance to study how the interface atom...

We report a large and nonvolatile bipolar-electric-field-controlled magnetization at room temperature in a Co(40)Fe(40)B(20)/Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))(0.7)Ti(0.3)O(3) structure, which exhibits an electric-field-controlled looplike magnetization. Investigations on the ferroelectric domains and crystal structures with in situ electric fields reveal that the effect is related to the combined action of 109° ferroelastic domain switching and the absence of magnetocrystalline anisotropy in Co(40)Fe(40)B(20). This work provides a route to realize large and nonvolatile magnetoelectric coupling at room temperature and is significant for applications.