Electrical-poling-induced strain effect in Pb(Fe0.534W0.066Nb0.4)O3

The electrical control of magnetism is a potential technique for low-energy-consuming spintronic devices. In this work, Pb(Fe0.534W0.066Nb0.4)O3 (PFWN), a known magnetoelectric-multiferroic compound, is poled using dc electric field to study the impact of induced strain on the vibrational modes and magnetism using Raman spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements, respectively. PFWN exhibits ferroelectric phase transition at TC ~ 300 K and antiferromagnetic ordering around TN ~ 187 K coinciding with an anomaly in the temperature-dependent Raman studies, indicating spin-phonon coupling. The observed changes in Raman modes and magnetization of electrically poled PFWN indicate strong converse magnetoelectric coupling effect. The electric-field-induced strain induces tilting of the FeO6 octahedra, which alters hybridization between Fe 3d and O and 2p orbitals, respectively. We present results of our studies on electric poling of PFWN in the light of current interest in the magnetic switching applications of spintronic materials.