Boundary-induced phase in epitaxial iron layers

Abstract

We report on the discovery of a boundary-induced body-centered tetragonal iron phase in thin films deposited on MgAl2O4 (001) substrates. We present evidence for this phase using detailed x-ray analysis and density functional theory calculations. A lower magnetic moment and a rotation of the easy magnetization direction are observed, as compared with body-centered cubic iron. Our findings expand the range of known crystal and magnetic phases of iron, providing valuable insights for the development of heterostructure devices using ultrathin iron layers. Published by the American Physical Society 2024