Magnetotransport at domain walls in BiFeO 3

Domain walls in multiferroics can exhibit intriguing behaviors that are significantly different from the bulk of the material. We investigate strong magnetoresistance in domain walls of the model multiferroic BiFeO 3 by probing ordered arrays of 109°domain walls with temperature- and magnetic-field-dependent transport. We observe temperature-dependent variations in the transport mechanism and magnetoresistances as large as 60%. These results suggest that by locally breaking the symmetry of a material, such as at domain walls and structural interfaces, one can induce emergent behavior with properties that deviate significantly from the bulk. © 2012 American Physical Society.