Comparison of 9nm thick pristine and hydrogenated PdCoO2 films.
(a) Hall effect of pristine film at room temperature. (b) Hysteretic AHE develops in the film after hydrogenation.
(c,d) TEM images for pre and post-hydrogenated PdCoO2 films.
Invention Summary:
The metallic delafossites, PdCoO2 and PtCoO2 are known to have high room temperature conductivity which rivals those of Cu and Ag. However, these materials are not magnetic at room temperature.
Researcher at Rutgers University have developed a simple method to turn thin films of these non-magnetic oxides into room temperature ferromagnets with strong perpendicular (out-of-plane) magnetic anisotropy. In this method, synthesized PdCoO2 thin films of various thicknesses are grown on Al2O3 substrates under plasma oxygen, and then are treated by hydrogen annealing with anneal time and temperature as control parameters. After hydrogenation, noticeable anomalous Hall effect with a sharp and square hysteretic loop appears at room temperature as wall as at low temperatures. The tuning of control parameters also allows modifying the Berry phase, an intrinsic quantum mechanical property, which allows these materials to be used in quantum technologies, for example magnetic random-access memory (MRAM).
Advantages:
- Delafossite films having ferromagnetism with strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at room temperature
- Ability to tune the ferromagnetic and electronic properties of the material
Market Applications:
- Electrodes or active elements for various microelectronics, optoelectronics, and spintronics applications
- Quantum material in quantum technologies, such as MRAM
Intellectual Property & Development Status: Patent pending. Available for licensing and/or research collaboration.
