Colossal anisotropic resistivity and oriented magnetic domains in strained La0.325Pr0.3Ca0.375MnO3 films

Magnetic and resistive anisotropies have been studied for the La0.325Pr0.3Ca0.375MnO3 films with different thicknesses grown on low symmetric (011)-oriented (LaAlO3)0.3(SrAl0.5Ta0.5O3)0.7 substrates. In the magnetic and electronic phase separation region, a colossal anisotropic resistivity (AR) of ∼105% and an anomalous large anisotropic magnetoresistance can be observed for 30 nm film. However, for 120 nm film, the maximum AR decreases significantly (∼2 × 103%) due to strain relaxation. The colossal AR is strongly associated with the oriented formation of magnetic domains, and the features of the strain effects are believed to be useful for the design of artificial materials and devices.