By stacking materials of compatible structure with different functionality, we hope to create

multifunctional materials- thus coupling the triad of mechanical stress, magnetic fields, and electric fields.

Local electronic and magnetic structure of mixed ferrite multilayer materials

Wells, Daniel M.; Cheng, J.; Ellis, Donald E.; Wessels, B. W.

Physical Review B, vol. 81, Issue 17, id. 174422 (2010)

Multilayer bispinel composites, in which one member is magnetite, Fe₃O₄ , and the other is XFe₂O₄ (X=Mg,Mn,Ni,Co) are modeled using first-principles density-functional theory in a periodic supercell scheme. Effects of transition metal composition on charge distribution and magnetization are examined in detail in order to determine the range of variability attainable upon cation substitution and distribution. Magnetic measurement on bilayer Fe₃O₄/MgFe₂O₄ and Fe₃O₄/CoFe₂O₄ compositions are reported, showing a considerable increase in magnetization relative to the separate bulk compounds, in qualitative agreement with theory.