Magneto-ionic control of magnetism through voltage-driven carbon transport.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41530141.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-68283-w and PMC identifier 12901155.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Control of magnetism through voltage-driven ionic processes (i.e., magneto-ionics) holds potential for next-generation memories and computing. This stems from its non-volatility, flexibility in adjusting the magnitude and speed of magnetic modulation, and energy efficiency. Since magneto-ionics depends on factors like ionic radius and electronegativity, identifying alternative mobile ions is crucial to embrace new phenomena and applications. Here, the feasibility of C as a prospective magneto-ionic ion is investigated in a Fe-C system by electrolyte gating. In contrast to most magneto-ionic systems, Fe-C presents a reversible dual-ion mechanism: Fe and C act as cation and anion, respectively, moving uniformly in opposite directions under an applied electric field. This leads to a significant increase in saturation magnetization ( > 5-fold) with magneto-ionic rates larger than 1 emu·cm<sup>-3</sup>·s<sup>-1</sup>, and a 25-fold increase in coercivity. Since carbides exhibit minimal cytotoxicity, this introduces a biocompatible dimension to magneto-ionics, paving the way for the convergence of spintronics and biotechnology.