Designing switchable near room-temperature multiferroics via the discovery of a novel magnetoelectric coupling

Journal Article · 17 April 2018 · New Journal of Physics

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aabed3 · OSTI ID:1500034

Feng, J. S. ^[1]; Xu, Ke ^[2]; Bellaiche, Laurent ^[3]; Xiang, H. J. ^[4]

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1. Fudan Univ., Shanghai (China); Hefei Normal Univ. (China)
2. Fudan Univ., Shanghai (China); Hubei Univ. of Arts and Sciences, Xiangyang (China)
3. Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR (United States)
4. Fudan Univ., Shanghai (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing (China)

Magnetoelectric (ME) coupling is the key ingredient for realizing the cross-control of magnetism and ferroelectricity in multiferroics. However, multiferroics are not only rare, especially at room-temperature, in nature but also the overwhelming majority of known multiferroics do not exhibit highly-desired switching of the direction of magnetization when the polarization is reversed by an electric field. Here, we report group theory analysis and ab initio calculations demonstrating, and revealing the origin of, the existence of a novel form of ME coupling term in a specific class of materials that does allow such switching. This term naturally explains the previously observed electric field control of magnetism in the first known multiferroics, i.e., the Ni–X boracite family. It is also presently used to design a switchable near room-temperature multiferroic (namely, LaSrMnOsO6 perovskite) having rather large ferroelectric polarization and spontaneous magnetization, as well as strong ME coupling.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0002220
• OSTI ID: 1500034
• Journal Information: New Journal of Physics, Vol. 20, Issue 5; ISSN 1367-2630
• Publisher: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English