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Room temperature large spontaneous exchange bias in hard-soft antiferromagnetic composite BiFeO3-TbMnO3

We report the presence of giant spontaneous exchange bias (HSEB) in a hard and soft antiferromagnetic composite of BiFeO3-TbMnO3 (BFO-TMO in 7:3 and 8:2 ratio). The HSEB varies between 5-778Oe, but persists up to room temperature with a maximum near a spin reorientation transition temperature observed from magnetization vs. temperature measurement in Zero-field cooled (ZFC) and Field cooled (FC) modes. Isothermal remnant magnetization measurements at room temperature indicate the presence of an interfacial layer of a 2 dimensional dilute antiferromagnet in a field (2D DAFF). A stable value of the exchange bias has been observed via training effect measurements which signify the role of interfacial exchange coupling in the system. Based on the experimental results we explain the presence of the giant spontaneous exchange bias on the basis of a strong strain-mediated magnetoelectriccoupling induced exchange interaction and the creation of 2D DAFF layer at the interface. Theproperties of this layer are defined by canting and pinning of BFO spins at the interface with TMO due to Fe and Mn interaction. X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) confirms the presence of canted antiferromagnetic ordering of BiFeO3, charge transfer between Mn ions and different magnetically coupled layers which play vital role in getting the exchange bias.