PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Superlattice design realizes elusive multiferroic properties

New design sandwiches a polar metallic oxide between an insulating material

2015-08-21
(Press-News.org) From the spinning disc of a computer's hard drive to the varying current in a transformer, many technological devices work by merging electricity and magnetism. But the search to find a single material that combines both electric polarizations and magnetizations remains challenging.

This elusive class of materials is called multiferroics, which combine two or more primary ferroic properties. Northwestern University's James Rondinelli and his research team are interested in combining ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity, which rarely coexist in one material at room temperature.

"Researchers have spent the past decade or more trying to find materials that exhibit these properties," said Rondinelli, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering. "If such materials can be found, they are both interesting from a fundamental perspective and yet even more attractive for technological applications."

In order for ferroelectricity to exist, the material must be insulating. For this reason, nearly every approach to date has focused on searching for multiferroics in insulating magnetic oxides. Rondinelli's team started with a different approach. They instead used quantum mechanical calculations to study a metallic oxide, lithium osmate, with a structural disposition to ferroelectricity and sandwiched it between an insulating material, lithium niobate.

While lithium osmate is a non-magnetic and non-insulating metal, lithium niobate is insulating and ferroelectric but also non-magnetic. By alternating the two materials, Rondinelli created a superlattice that -- at the quantum scale -- became insulating, ferromagnetic, and ferroelectric at room temperature.

"The polar metal became insulating through an electronic phase transition," Rondinelli explained. "Owing to the physics of the enhanced electron-electron interactions in the superlattice, the electronic transition induces an ordered magnetic state."

Supported by the Army Research Office and the US Department of Defense, the research appears in the August 21 issue of Physical Review Letters. Danilo Puggioni, a postdoctoral fellow in Rondinelli's lab, is the paper's first author, who is joined by collaborators at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy.

This new design strategy for realizing multiferroics could open up new possibilities for electronics, including logic processing and new types of memory storage. Multiferroic materials also hold potential for low-power electronics as they offer the possibility to control magnetic polarizations with an electric field, which consumes much less energy.

"Our work has turned the paradigm upside down," Rondinelli said. "We show that you can start with metallic oxides to make multiferroics."

INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Physician support key to successful weight loss, study shows

2015-08-21
A review of survey data from more than 300 obese people who participated in a federally funded weight loss clinical trial found that although the overall weight loss rates were modest, those who rated their primary care doctor's support as particularly helpful lost about twice as many pounds as those who didn't. In a report on the study by Johns Hopkins researchers, published in the Aug. 21 issue of Patient Education and Counseling, the researchers say the findings could inform the development of weight loss programs that give primary care physicians a starring role. Researchers ...

Study finds tests used to measure internal bleeding for patients may not be reliable

2015-08-21
A recently-published study found that while internal bleeding may be uncommon as a result of taking blood thinners such as Xarelto® (rivaroxaban) and Eliquis® (apixaban), the normal coagulation tests physicians use to check for the side effect of bleeding may not be reliable. The study, published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine, found that in cases reported to Poison Centers, the routine labs used to monitor for clotting factors, such as prothrombin time (PT), PTT or INR commonly ordered to help diagnose internal bleeding may be elevated in a minority of ...

NASA sees diminutive Hurricane Danny from space

NASA sees diminutive Hurricane Danny from space
2015-08-21
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured an image of Hurricane Danny moving through the Central Atlantic Ocean. Satellite data indicates that Danny is a small Category 2 hurricane, in which hurricane-force winds only extend 15 miles from the eye. A NASA GOES Project animation of visible and infrared imagery of Hurricane Danny was created at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland to show the development and movement of the storm. The animation shows the eastern and central Atlantic Ocean from Aug. 18 to 21, 2015. Forecaster Cangialosi ...

All together now: Group behavior in biomolecular systems

All together now: Group behavior in biomolecular systems
2015-08-21
"Flocking" or "swarming" behavior is omnipresent in the living world, observed in birds, fish, and even bacteria. Strikingly similar collective action can also be seen in biomolecules within and between cells. Such self-organization processes are the basis of life - without them no living cell would exist - yet they are not well understood. New insights into how this action is coordinated at the biomolecular level are emerging from studies of a model system based on actin filaments. Experimental evidence proves the inadequacy of widely accepted explanations, according to ...

Inspired by venus flytrap, researchers develop folding 'snap' geometry

2015-08-21
AMHERST, Mass. - Inspired by natural "snapping" systems like Venus flytrap leaves and hummingbird beaks, a team led by physicist Christian Santangelo at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has developed a way to use curved creases to give thin curved shells a fast, programmable snapping motion. The new technique avoids the need for complicated materials and fabrication methods when creating structures with fast dynamics. The advance should help materials scientists and engineers who wish to design structures that can rapidly switch shape and properties, says Santangelo. ...

Passion for your job? If not, it's attainable

2015-08-21
ANN ARBOR--People who have not found their perfect fit in a career can take heart: There is more than one way to attain passion for work. Contrary to popular wisdom, a love-at first-sight experience is not necessary when evaluating a potential job, according to a new University of Michigan study. "The good news is that we can choose to change our beliefs or strategies to cultivate passion gradually or seek compatibility from the outset, and be just as effective in the long run at achieving this coveted experience," said Patricia Chen, a doctoral psychology student and ...

How DNA 'proofreader' proteins pick and edit their reading material

2015-08-21
Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered how two important proofreader proteins know where to look for errors during DNA replication and how they work together to signal the body's repair mechanism. When a cell prepares to divide, the DNA splits first, the double helix "unzipping" into two separate backbones. New nucleotides - adenine, cytosine, guanine or thymine - are filled into the gaps on the other side of the backbone, pairing with their counterparts (adenine with thymine and cytosine with ...

Anti-aging tricks from dietary supplement seen in mice

2015-08-21
In human cells, shortened telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, are both a sign of aging and contribute to it. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found that the dietary supplement alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can stimulate telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens telomeres, with positive effects in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. The discovery highlights a potential avenue for the treatment for chronic diseases. The results were published Thursday, August 20 in Cell Reports. "Alpha-lipoic acid has an essential role in mitochondria, ...

Impact of sleep disturbance on recovery in veterans with PTSD and TBI

2015-08-21
(Boston)--Poor sleep may impact treatment and recovery in veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). A review of extensive research on sleep in TBI and PTSD has found that sleep-focused interventions can improve treatment outcomes in veterans. Led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and VA Boston Healthcare System, the review article currently appears online in the journal of Clinical Psychology Review. Sleep difficulty is a primary symptom of both PTSD and TBI and has been found to affect the severity ...

Some single people are happy on their own, research finds

2015-08-21
People who fear relationship conflicts are just as happy when they are single or in a relationship, according to new research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. "It's a well-documented finding that single people tend to be less happy compared to those in a relationship, but that may not be true for everyone. Single people also can have satisfying lives," said lead researcher Yuthika Girme, a psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. In a survey of more than 4,000 New Zealand residents, a nationally ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists trace origins of now extinct plant population from volcanically active Nishinoshima

AI algorithm based on routine mammogram + age can predict women’s major cardiovascular disease risk

New hurdle seen to prostate screening: primary-care docs

MSU researchers explore how virtual sports aid mental health

Working together, cells extend their senses

Cheese fungi help unlock secrets of evolution

Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking

Mental health effects of exposure to firearm violence persist long after direct exposure

Research identifies immune response that controls Oropouche infection and prevents neurological damage

University of Cincinnati, Kent State University awarded $3M by NSF to share research resources

Ancient DNA reveals deeply complex Mastodon family and repeated migrations driven by climate change

Measuring the quantum W state

Researchers find a way to use antibodies to direct T cells to kill Cytomegalovirus-infected cells

Engineers create mini microscope for real-time brain imaging

Funding for training and research in biological complexity

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: September 12, 2025

ISSCR statement on the scientific and therapeutic value of human fetal tissue research

Novel PET tracer detects synaptic changes in spinal cord and brain after spinal cord injury

Wiley advances Knowitall Solutions with new trendfinder application for user-friendly chemometric analysis and additional enhancements to analytical workflows

Benchmark study tracks trends in dog behavior

OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech

Research spotlight: Study identifies a surprising new treatment target for chronic limb threatening ischemia

Childhood loneliness and cognitive decline and dementia risk in middle-aged and older adults

Parental diseases of despair and suicidal events in their children

Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults

Acupuncture treatment improves disabling effects of chronic low back pain in older adults

How interstellar objects similar to 3I/ATLAS could jump-start planet formation around infant stars

Rented e-bicycles more dangerous than e-scooters in cities

Ditches as waterways: Managing ‘ditch-scapes’ to strengthen communities and the environment

In-situ molecular passivation enables pure-blue perovskite LEDs via vacuum thermal evaporation

[Press-News.org] Superlattice design realizes elusive multiferroic properties
New design sandwiches a polar metallic oxide between an insulating material