Tag Archives: multiferroics

Teaching new tricks to insulators

Insulators might seem pretty boring materials for an electronic device such as a computer memory, because by the very nature of their definition, they don’t conduct any electrical current. But some insulators show some pretty intriguing properties. Amongst them are the so-called ferroelectrics. A ferroelectric is a material where positive and negative electrical charges, are [...]

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Are fridge magnets the future in computer memory?

Fridge magnets, and related magnets used in homes and offices, are made from the ceramic BaFe12O19, whose annual commercial production reaches 830,000 tons a year. Contrary to what their mundane use suggests, the physics of these magnets is rather unusual. They belong to a rare class of materials whose magnetism can be controlled with electric [...]

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