Strain effects on multiferroic heterointerface La0.5Sr0.5MnO3/BaTiO3 by DFT calculations

La 1-x Sr x MnO 3 /BaTiO 3 based multiferroic tunneling junction structures promise practical on/off resistance ratio for low-field switching 4-state nonvolatile memory. This work aims at investigating the nature of magnetoelectric coupling at La 1-x Sr x MnO 3 /BaTiO 3 interface in the framework of density functional theory. Our results suggest that owing to electrostatic screening effect, electric polarization of BaTiO 3 layer can act as the intermediary to electrically modulate not only the magnitude but also the order of local magnetic moment in La 1-x Sr x MnO 3 layer. Moreover, it is demonstrated that both lateral and perpendicular strains are of particular importance to modify this kind of magnetoelectric coupling. The magnetic ordering is electrically tunable only with the application of suitable strain.