Journal Article

FZJ-2020-00050

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Multiferroic properties of melanothallite Cu 2 OCl 2

Guo, H. ; Zhao, L. ; Schmidt, W.FZJ* ; Fernández-Díaz, M. T. ; Becker, C. ; Melendez-Sans, A. ; Peng, W. ; Zbiri, M. ; Hansmann, P. ; Komarek, A. C. (Corresponding author)

2019
APS College Park, MD

This record in other databases:    

Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/23790  doi:10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.3.124405

Abstract: Here we report on P−E hysteresis loop measurements that unravel the ferroelectric nature of melanothallite Cu2OCl2, a new multiferroic material with high critical temperature. Its spin structure was investigated by polarized and unpolarized neutron scattering experiments which reveal a cycloidal magnetic structure with vector chirality (magnetic polarity) that can be inverted by opposite poling of the sample with an inverted electric field. This shows that Cu2OCl2 is a spin-induced ferroelectric material. Finally, we show that the ferroelectric properties of Cu2OCl2 are driven by the inverse Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction mechanism which is also able to predict the observed direction of the ferroelectric polarization properly. The origin of the noncollinear spin structure in melanothallite are competing AFM-FM exchange couplings which we estimate from a combined ab initio + cluster configuration interaction calculation.

---

Contributing Institute(s):

1. Streumethoden (JCNS-2)
2. Streumethoden (PGI-4)
3. JARA-FIT (JARA-FIT)
4. JCNS-ILL (JCNS-ILL)

Research Program(s):

1. 144 - Controlling Collective States (POF3-144) (POF3-144)
2. 524 - Controlling Collective States (POF3-524) (POF3-524)
3. 6212 - Quantum Condensed Matter: Magnetism, Superconductivity (POF3-621) (POF3-621)
4. 6213 - Materials and Processes for Energy and Transport Technologies (POF3-621) (POF3-621)
5. 6G4 - Jülich Centre for Neutron Research (JCNS) (POF3-623) (POF3-623)

Experiment(s):

1. ILL-IN12: Cold neutron 3-axis spectrometer

Appears in the scientific report 2019

---

Database coverage:
; ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences ; IF < 5 ; JCR ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

---