Controlling magnetic anisotropy energy by electric field in 2d magnet: (111) Surface of YCo2

While bulk YCo₂ is paramagnetic in nature, the thin films of YCo₂ (111) have an intriguing feature of surface magnetism, with magnetization localized on Co atoms near the surface. Using the density functional based approach we show that the surface magnetization per Co atom can be increased slightly by applying an external electric field (EF). We find that even relatively weak EF changes the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) quite substantially. This makes the 2D magnet, YCo2 (111) thin film a promising for sensor or spintronics applications.