Electric field control of nonvolatile four-state magnetization at room temperature

We find the realization of large converse magnetoelectric (ME) effects at room temperature in a magnetoelectric hexaferrite Ba 0.52Sr 2.48Co 2Fe 24O 41 single crystal, in which rapid change of electric polarization in low magnetic fields (about 5 mT) is coined to a large ME susceptibility of 3200ps/m. The modulation of magnetization then reaches up to 0.62?? B/f.u. in an electric field of 1.14MV/m. We find further that four ME states induced by different ME poling exhibit unique, nonvolatile magnetization versus electric field curves, which can be approximately described by an effective free energy with a distinct set of ME coefficients. © 2012 American Physical Society.open363