Magnetite is the oldest magnetic material known to mankind. With applications in catalysis and magnetic storage of information, it has been proposed for use in spintronics. However, its surface magnetic properties are still under discussion. Now researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano" of the Spanish National Researcher Council (CSIC) and the ALBA Synchrotron have determined the magnetic moment of an in-situ prepared, well characterized magnetite surface, which on the surface may differ from its bulk value. Determining the magnetic moment at surfaces and interfaces is crucial for its use in devices that manipulate the spin such as spin valves.
The first research work performed uniquely by means of the only low-energy electron and photoelectron microscope in Spain, located at CIRCE beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron, has just been published at Physical Review B. The study has used the high surface sensitivity and multi-technique capabilities of the microscope to characterize the magnetic moment of a well defined magnetite surface, finding that it is crucially affected by the local atomic structure.
"Our next step is to modify in a controlled and reversible way the surface atoms of magnetite to observe the effect at the magnetic moment. By doing this, we will be able to manipulate it", says Juan de la Figuera, CSIC researcher of the Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano".
Fig. Image of the magnetite surface acquired with electrons (left) and its magnetic domains with X rays (right). © CSIC
Link to Institute of Physical Chemistry "Rocasolano" website
