Heteroepitaxy of Fe₃O₄/Muscovite: A New Perspective for Flexible Spintronics

TLDR

Spintronics has attracted significant attention, prompting many research groups to pursue spin‑related electronic devices, and the growing demand for flexible and wearable technologies has heightened interest in adaptable spintronic platforms. This study demonstrates that epitaxial Fe₃O₄ films can be grown on flexible muscovite, enabling the integration of spintronic functionality into bendable devices. The heteroepitaxy was characterized by X‑ray diffraction, high‑resolution TEM, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, XMCD, and electrical/magnetic measurements, while bending tests confirmed the preservation of properties under repeated flexing. The results show that Fe₃O₄/muscovite heterostructures retain their intrinsic properties and are promising candidates for flexible spintronic applications.

Abstract

Spintronics has captured a lot of attention since it was proposed. It has been triggering numerous research groups to make their efforts on pursuing spin-related electronic devices. Recently, flexible and wearable devices are in a high demand due to their outstanding potential in practical applications. In order to introduce spintronics into the realm of flexible devices, we demonstrate that it is feasible to grow epitaxial Fe3O4 film, a promising candidate for realizing spintronic devices based on tunneling magnetoresistance, on flexible muscovite. In this study, the heteroepitaxy of Fe3O4/muscovite is characterized by X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The chemical composition and magnetic feature are investigated by a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The electrical and magnetic properties are examined to show the preservation of the primitive properties of Fe3O4. Furthermore, various bending tests are performed to show the tunability of functionalities and to confirm that the heterostructures retain the physical properties under repeated cycles. These results illustrate that the Fe3O4/muscovite heterostructure can be a potential candidate for the applications in flexible spintronics.