Granular and layered ferroelectric–ferromagnetic thin-film nanocomposites as promising materials with high magnetotransmission effect

• Thin-film ferromagnetic–ferroelectric nanocomposites have been prepared by MOCVD.
• Giant change of optical transparency of nanocomposites in magnetic field was detected.
• Positive magnetotransmission in the granular nanocomposite was discovered in the IR.
• Negative magnetotransmission in the layered nanocomposite was revealed in the IR.
• Ferroelectric–ferromangetic nanocomposite is a promising material for optoelectronics.

Epitaxial thin films of granular and layered nanocomposites consisting of ferromagnetic perovskite Pr1–xSrxMnO3 and ferroelectric hexagonal LuMnO3 were grown on ZrO2(Y2O3) substrates using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). A self-organized growth of the granular composite took place in situ as a result of phase separation of the Pr–Sr–Lu–Mn–O system into the perovskite and hexagonal phases. Optical transmission measurements revealed a large negative magnetotransmission effect in the layered nanocomposite over a wide spectral and temperature range. The granular nanocomposite unexpectedly showed an even larger, but positive, magnetotransmission effect at room temperature.