3d-oxide molecules to tailor large magnetic anisotropy energies on MgO films

Designing systems with large magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) is desirable and critical for nanoscale magnetic devices. A recent breakthrough achieved the theoretical limit of the MAE for 3d transition metal atoms by placing a single Co atom on a MgO(100) surface, a result not replicated by standard first-principles simulations. Our study, incorporating Hubbard-U correction and spin-orbit coupling, successfully reproduces and explains the high MAE of a Co adatom on a MgO (001) surface. We go further by exploring ways to enhance MAE in 3d transition metal adatoms through different structural geometries of 3d–O molecules on MgO. One promising structure, with molecules perpendicular to the surface, enhances MAE while reducing substrate interaction, minimizing spin fluctuations, and boosting magnetic stability. Additionally, we demonstrate significant control over MAE by precisely placing 3d–O molecules on the substrate at the atomic level.