As artificial intelligence and data centers use more energy, researchers are looking for ways to make technology that saves power and is kinder to the environment. Magnetoelectric materials are one solution. These are special substances where electricity and magnetism work together. In these materials, an electric field, which is like an invisible force created by voltage, can control magnetic properties. This could lead to devices like computer memory that use much less energy.
One promising material is copper oxyselenide, a green crystal. At very cold temperatures, the atomic spins form unique patterns. Atomic spins are like tiny magnets in each atom. These patterns, such as spirals or cones, are larger than the crystal’s basic structure and can be changed easily. This flexibility makes the material special for new technology.
Steering magnetism with electricity
Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have found that an electric field can guide these magnetic patterns in copper oxyselenide. Normally, magnetic structures, which are the ways atomic spins line up or twist, stay fixed in one direction. But in this material, applying the right voltage lets researchers shift these patterns. This is called magnetoelectric deflection, and it’s the first time anyone has continuously changed the direction of magnetic patterns in a material using electricity.
To study this, researchers used small-angle neutron scattering at a facility in Switzerland. A special setup let them apply a strong electric field while watching how the magnetism changed. This showed that their equipment could detect even small changes very clearly. The study is published in Nature Communications.
The discovery revealed something interesting: the magnetic patterns reacted differently depending on the electric field’s strength. Weak fields slightly moved the patterns. Medium fields caused more complicated changes. Strong fields completely flipped the patterns by 90 degrees. Each reaction could be useful for things like sensors or data storage. The ability to control magnetism this way, without using power-hungry magnetic fields, could lead to new, energy-saving devices that help make technology more sustainable.