Magnetoelectric effect at the $SrRuO3/BaTiO3$ (001) interface: An ab initio study

Ferromagnet/ferroelectric interface materials have emerged as structures with strong magnetoelectric coupling that may exist due to unconventional physical mechanisms. Here we present a first-principles study of the magnetoelectric effect at the ferromagnet/ferroelectric $SrRuO3/BaTiO3$ (001) interface. We find that the exchange splitting of the spin-polarized band structure, and therefore the magnetization, at the interface can be altered substantially by reversal of the ferroelectric polarization in the $BaTiO3$⁠. These magnetoelectric effects originate from the screening of polarization charges at the $SrRuO3/BaTiO3$ interface and are consistent with the Stoner model for itinerant magnetism.