Rodríguez-Velamazán J Alberto, Fabelo Oscar, Campo Javier, Rodríguez-Carvajal Juan, Qureshi Navid, Chapon Laurent C
Institut Laue-Langevin, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 20156, 38042, Grenoble, Cedex 9, France.
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón, CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, C/Pedro Cerbuna 12, E-50009, Zaragoza, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2018 Jul 13;8(1):10665. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-28883-z.
(ND)[FeCl(DO)] represents a promising example of the hybrid molecular/inorganic approach to create materials with strong magneto-electric coupling. Neutron spherical polarimetry, which is directly sensitive to the absolute magnetic configuration and domain population, has been used in this work to unambiguously prove the multiferroicity of this material. We demonstrate that the application of an electric field upon cooling results in the stabilization of a single-cycloidal magnetic domain below 6.9 K, while poling in the opposite electric field direction produces the full population of the domain with opposite magnetic chirality. We prove the complete switchability of the magnetic domains at low temperature by the applied electric field, which constitutes a direct proof of the strong magnetoelectric coupling. Additionally, we refine the magnetic structure of the ordered ground state, deducing the underlying magnetic space group consistent with the direction of the ferroelectric polarization, and we provide evidence of a collinear amplitude-modulated state with magnetic moments along the a-axis in the temperature region between 6.9 and 7.2 K.
(ND)[FeCl(DO)]是采用分子/无机混合方法制备具有强磁电耦合材料的一个有前景的实例。中子球形偏振测量法对绝对磁构型和磁畴数量直接敏感,在本工作中用于明确证明该材料的多铁性。我们证明,冷却时施加电场会导致在6.9 K以下稳定存在单摆线磁畴,而在相反电场方向极化会使具有相反磁手性的磁畴完全占据。我们通过施加电场证明了低温下磁畴的完全可切换性,这构成了强磁电耦合的直接证据。此外,我们细化了有序基态的磁结构,推导与铁电极化方向一致的潜在磁空间群,并提供了在6.9至7.2 K温度区间内沿a轴具有磁矩的共线振幅调制态的证据。