Confinement-Induced Giant Spin-Orbit-Coupled Magnetic Moment of Co Nanoclusters in TiO2 Films.

High magnetization materials are in great demand for the fabrication of advanced multifunctional magnetic devices. Notwithstanding this demand, the development of new materials with these attributes has been relatively slow. In this work, we propose a new strategy to achieve high magnetic moments above room temperature. Our material engineering approach invoked the embedding of magnetic nanoclusters in an oxide matrix. By precisely controlling pulsed laser deposition parameters, Co nanoclusters are formed in a 5 at % Co–TiO2 film. The presence of these nanoclusters was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption fine structure. The film exhibits a very high saturation magnetization of 99 emu/cm3. Detailed studies using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism confirm that Co has an enhanced magnetic moment of 3.5 μB/atom, while the Ti and O also contribute to the magnetic moments. First-principles calculations supported our hypothesis that the meta...