Vertically aligned nanocomposite (BaTiO<inf>3</inf>)<inf>0.8</inf> : (La<inf>0.7</inf>Sr<inf>0.3</inf>MnO<inf>3</inf>)<inf>0.2</inf>thin films with anisotropic multifunctionalities

A new two-phase BaTiO3 : La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 nanocomposite system with a molar ratio of 8 : 2 has been grown on single crystal SrTiO3 (001) substrates using a one-step pulsed laser deposition technique. Vertically aligned nanocomposite thin films with ultra-thin La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 pillars embedded in the BaTiO3 matrix have been obtained and the geometry of the pillars varies with deposition frequency. The room temperature multiferroic properties, including ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity, have been demonstrated. Anisotropic ferromagnetism and dielectric constants have been observed, which can be tuned by deposition frequencies. The tunable anisotropic optical properties originated from the conducting pillars in the dielectric matrix structure, which cause different electron transport paths. In addition, tunable band gaps have been discovered in the nanocomposites. This multiferroic and anisotropic system has shown its great potentials towards multiferroics and non-linear optics. This journal is