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Abstract Noncollinear ferroic materials are sought after as testbeds to explore the intimate connections between topology and symmetry, which result in electronic, optical, and magnetic functionalities not observed in collinear ferroic materials. For example, ferroaxial materials have rotational structural distortions that break mirror symmetry and induce chirality. When ferroaxial order is coupled with ferroelectricity arising from a broken inversion symmetry, it offers the prospect of electric‐field‐control of the ferroaxial distortions and opens up new tunable functionalities. However, chiral multiferroics, especially ones stable at room temperature, are rare. A strain‐stabilized, room‐temperature chiral multiferroic phase in single crystals of BaTiS3is reported here. Using first‐principles calculations, the stabilization of this multiferroic phase havingP63space group for biaxial tensile strains exceeding 1.5% applied on the basalab‐plane of the room temperatureP63cmphase of BaTiS3is predicted. The chiral multiferroic phase is characterized by rotational distortions of TiS6octahedra around the longc‐axis and polar displacement of Ti atoms along thec‐axis. The ferroaxial and ferroelectric distortions and their domains inP63‐BaTiS3are directly resolved using atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Landau‐based phenomenological modeling predicts a strong coupling between the ferroelectric and the ferroaxial order makingP63‐BaTiS3an attractive test bed for achieving electric‐field‐control of chirality.
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This content will become publicly available on December 9, 2025
Recent progress on multiferroic hexagonal rare-earth ferrites (h-RFeO 3 , R = Y, Dy-Lu)
Abstract Multiferroic hexagonal rare-earth ferrites (h-RFeO3, R= Sc, Y, and rare earth), in which the improper ferroelectricity and canted antiferromagnetism coexist, have been advocated as promising candidates to pursue the room-temperature multiferroics, because of strong spin-spin interaction. The strong interactions between the ferroic orders and the structural distortions are appealing for high-density, energy-efficient electronic devices. Over the past decade, remarkable advances in atomic-scale synthesis, characterization, and material modeling enable the significant progresses in the understanding and manipulation of ferroic orders and their couplings in h-RFeO3thin films. These results reveal a physical picture of rich ferroelectric and magnetic phenomena interconnected by a set of structural distortions and spin-lattice couplings, which provides guidance for the control of ferroic orders down to the nano scale and the discovery of novel physical phenomena. This review focus on state-of-the-art studies in complex phenomena related to the ferroelectricity and magnetism as well as the magnetoelectric couplings in multiferroic h-RFeO3, based on mostly the recent experimental efforts, aiming to stimulate fresh ideas in this field.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2044049
- PAR ID:
- 10636318
- Publisher / Repository:
- Purposed-Led Publishing
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
- Volume:
- 58
- Issue:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 0022-3727
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 073003
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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