  The discovery of new mechanisms of controlling magnetic properties by
electric fields or currents furthers the fundamental understanding of magnetism
and has important implications for practical use. Here, we present a novel
approach of utilizing resistive switching to control magnetic anisotropy. We
study a ferromagnetic oxide that exhibits an electrically triggered
metal-to-insulator phase transition producing a volatile resistive switching.
This switching occurs in a characteristic spatial pattern: the formation of a
transverse insulating barrier inside a metallic matrix resulting in an unusual
ferromagnetic/paramagnetic/ferromagnetic configuration. We found that the
formation of this voltage-driven paramagnetic insulating barrier is accompanied
by the emergence of a strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy that overpowers the
intrinsic material anisotropy. Our results demonstrate that resistive switching
is an effective tool for manipulating magnetic properties. Because resistive
switching can be induced in a very broad range of materials, our findings could
enable a new class of voltage-controlled magnetism systems.
