title: Relaxor ferroelectricity and magnetoelectric coupling in ZnO-Co nanocomposite thin films: beyond multiferroic composites.
abstract: ZnO-Co nanocomposite thin films are synthesized by combination of pulsed laser deposition of ZnO and Co ion implantation. Both superparamagnetism and relaxor ferroelectricity as well as magnetoelectric coupling in the nanocomposites have been demonstrated. The unexpected relaxor ferroelectricity is believed to be the result of the local lattice distortion induced by the incorporation of the Co nanoparticles. Magnetoelectric coupling can be attributed to the interaction between the electric dipole moments and the magnetic moments, which are both induced by the incorporation of Co. The introduced ZnO-Co nanocomposite thin films are different from conventional strain-mediated multiferroic composites.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Solid-State Physics and Magnetism and ‡Instituut voor Kern-en Stralingsfysica, KU Leuven , Celestijnenlaan 200 D, BE-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: D Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Batuk
authors.forename: L M C
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Z Z
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fleischmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menghini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nikitenko
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hadermann
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Temst
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vantomme
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Van Bael
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Locquet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Haesendonck