Control of topological phase transitions in Dirac semimetal films by exchange fields

The exchange field effects on topological Dirac semimetal（DSM） films are discussed in this article. A topological phase transition can be controlled by tuning the exchange field together with the quantum confinement effects. What is more interesting is that the system can transit into the quantum anomalous Hall（QAH） state from the topologically trivial state（Z2 = 0） or from the topologically nontrivial state（Z2 = 1）, depending on the thickness of the DSM films. This provides a useful mechanism to realize the QAH state from the DSM.

Distinct edge states and optical conductivities in the zigzag and armchair silicene nanoribbons under exchange and electric fields

Based on the tight binding model, we investigate the low energy bandstructures, edge states, and optical absorptions for the silicene nanoribbons （SiNRs） with different terminations under an in-plane exchange field and/or a perpendicular electric field. We find that the zigzag SiNRs are gapped by the exchange field, but they could reenter the metallic state after the application of the electric field. Contrarily, a certain kind of armchair SiNRs remain gapless even if a weak exchange field is present. Furthermore, the combination of the exchange and electric fields could effectively modulate the penetration length and the components of the edge states in the SiNRs. The corresponding optical conductivities for the SiNRs are also calculated, which show remarkable dependence on the edge types of the SiNRs and the two external fields.

STUDY OF THE EXCHANGE BIAS FIELD OF NiFe/FeMn BILAYERS

The exchange bias field of NiFe/FeMn films with Ta/ Cu buffer was proved tobe lower than that of the films with Ta buffer. The crystallographic texture, surface roughness andelements distribution were examined in these two sets of samples, and there is no apparentdifference for the texture and roughness. However, the segregation of Cu atoms above NiFe surface inthe multilayer of Ta/Cu/NiFe has been observed by using the angle-resolved X-ray photoelectronspectroscopy (XPS). The decrease of the exchange bias field for NiFe/FeMn films with Ta/ Cu bufferlayers is mainly caused by the Cu atoms segregation at the interface between NiFe and FeMn.

Magnetic field‐enhanced water splitting enabled by bifunctional molybdenum‐doped nickel sulfide on nickel foam

Herein,we report bifunctional molybdenum-doped nickel sulfide on nickel foam(Mo-NiS_(x)/NF)for magnetic field-enhanced overall water splitting under alkaline conditions.Proper doping of Mo can lead to optimization of the electronic structure of NiS_(x),which accelerates the dissociation of H2O and the adsorption of OH−in the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)processes,respectively.In addition,the magnetically active Mo-NiS_(x)/NF can further enhance the HER and OER activity under an applied magnetic field due to the magnetoresistance effect and the ferromagnetic(FM)exchange-field penetration effect.As a result,Mo-NiS_(x)/NF requires low overpotentials of 307 mV at 50mA cm^(−2)(for OER)and 136 mV at 10mA cm^(−2)(for HER)under a magnetic field of 10000 G.Furthermore,the electrolytic cell constructed by the bifunctional Mo-NiS_(x)/NFs as both the cathode and the anode shows a low cell voltage of 1.594 V at 10 mA cm^(−2)with optimal stability over 60 h under the magnetic field.Simultaneous enhancement of the HER and OER processes by an external magnetic field through rational design of electrocatalysts might be promising for overall water splitting applications.

Influence of temperature on thermal relaxation of exchange bias field in CoFe/Cu/CoFe/IrMn spin valve

A multilayered spin valve film with a structure of Ta(5 nm)/Co_(75)Fe_(25)(5 nm)/Cu(2.5 nm)/Co_(75)Fe_(25)(5 nm)/Ir_(20)Mn_(80)(12 nm)/Ta(8 nm)is prepared by the high-vacuum direct current(DC)magnetron sputtering.The effect of temperature on the spin valve structure and the magnetic properties are studied by x-ray diffraction(XRD),atomic force microscopy(AFM),and vibrating sample magnetometry.The effect of temperature on the exchange bias field thermomagnetic properties of multilayered spin valve is studied by the residence time of samples in a reverse saturation field.The results show that as the temperature increases,the IrMn(111)texture weakens,surface/interface roughness increases,and the exchange bias field decreases.Below 200℃,the exchange bias field decreases with the residence time increasing,and at the beginning of the negative saturation field,the exchange bias field Hex decreases first quickly and then slowly gradually.When the temperature is greater than 200℃,the exchange bias field is unchanged with the residence time increasing.

Temperature-dependent interlayer exchange coupling strength in synthetic antiferromagnetic [Pt/Co]_2/Ru/[Co/Pt]_4 multilayers

In this work, we experimentally investigated the thermal stability of the interlayer exchange coupling field(Hex) and strength(-Jiec) in synthetic antiferromagnetic(SAF) structure of [Pt(0.6)/Co(0.6)]2/Ru(tRu)/[Co(0.6)/Pt(0.6)]4multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy. Depending on the thickness of the spacing ruthenium(Ru) layer, the observed interlayer exchange coupling can be either ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic. The Hexwere studied by measuring the magnetization hysteresis loops in the temperature range from 100 K to 700 K as well as the theoretical calculation of the-Jiec. It is found that the interlayer coupling in the multilayers is very sensitive to the thickness of Ru and temperature. The Hexexhibits either a linear or a non-linear dependence on the temperature for different thickness of Ru. Furthermore, our SAF multilayers show a high thermal stability even up to 600 K(Hex= 3.19 kOe,-Jiec= 1.97 erg/cm~2 for tRu=0.6 nm, the unit 1 Oe = 79.5775 A·m-1), which was higher than the previous studies.

XPS Studies of Magnetic Multilayers

NiOx/Ni81Fe19 and Co/AlOx/Co magnetic multilayers were fabricated by reactive RF/DC magnetron sputtering on clean glass substrates and oxidized Si (100) substrates, respectively. The exchange biasing field (H-ex) between NiO4 and Ni81Fe19 as a function of NiOx oxidation states was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The oxidation states and the oxide thickness of Al layers in magnetic multilayer films consisting of Co/AlOx/Co were also analyzed. It is found that the H-sr of NiOx/Ni81Fe19 films only depends on Ni2+ but not on Ni3+ or Ni. The bottom Co can be completely covered by depositing an A I layer thicker than 2.0 nm. The oxide layer was Al2O3, and its thickness was 1.15 mn.

XPS Studies of Chemical States of NiO/NiFe Interface

Ta/NTiO/NiFe/Ta multilayers were prepared by radio frequency reactive and dc magnetron sputtering. The exchange coupling field between NiO and NiFe reached 9.6 x 10(3) A/m. The compositions and chemical states at the interface region of NiO/NiFe were studied using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and peak decomposition technique, The results show that there are two thermodynamically favorable reactions at NiO/NiFe interface: NiO+Fe = Ni + FeO and 3NiO+2Fe =3 Ni+Fe2O3. The thickness of the chemical reaction area estimated by angle-resolved XPS was about 1-1.5 nm. These interface reaction products appear magnetic defects, and the exchange coupling field H-ex and the coereivity H-c of NiO/NiFe are affected by these defects.

Interface chemical states of NiO/NiFe films and their effects on magnetic properties

Ta/NiOx/Ni81Fe19/Ta multilayers were prepared by rf reactive and dc magnetron sputtering.The exchange coupling field (Hex) and the coercivity (Hc) of NiOx/Ni81Fe19 as a function of the ratio of Ar to O2 during the deposition process were studied.The composition and chemical states at the interface region of NiOx/NiFe were also investigated using the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and peak decomposition technique.The results show that the ratio of Ar to O2 has great effect on the nickel chemical states in NiOx film.When the ratio of Ar to O2 is equal to 7 and the argon sputtering pressure is 0.57 Pa,the x value is approximately 1 and the valence of nickel is +2.At this point,NiOx is antiferromagnetic NiO and the corresponding Hex is the largest.As the ratio of Ar/O2 deviates from 7,the exchange coupling field (Hex) will decrease due to the presence of magnetic impurities such as Ni+3 or metallic Ni at the interface region of NiOx/NiFe,while the coercivity (Hc) will increase due to the metallic Ni.XPS studies also show that there are two thermodynamically favorable reactions at the NiO/NiFe interface: NiO+Fe=Ni+FeO and 3NiO+2Fe=3Ni+Fe2O3.These interface reaction products are magnetic impurities at the interface region of NiO/NiFe.It is believed that these magnetic impurities would have effect on the exchange coupling field (Hex) and the coercivity (Hc) of NiO/NiFe.