Promoting Metamagnetic Transition by Interphase Magnetic Coupling

Magnetic mixed-phase materials with competing ground states are important from both scientific and technical points of view due to their magnetic phase transition and phase coexistence properties. Unlike artificially fabricated multi-phase composites, it should be possible to modify their physical properties more efficiently by making use of the interphase coupling effects in mixed-phase materials. In this study, the magneto-transport properties are investigated to provide evidence of the existence of interphase coupling in a magnetic mixed-phase system, specifically, Ni-doped FeRh thin films. The rotation of the external magnetic field induces an emergent promotion effect of the antiferromagnetic (AFM)–ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition, which can be attributed to the modification of the magnetic free energy by interphase magnetic coupling across the AFM–FM phase boundary. The results shed light on the availability of an extra degree of freedom for manipulating the physical properties of material systems with mixed magnetic phases and help to further exploit their potential applications.