Polar octahedral rotations: a path to new multifunctional materials
Abstract
Perovskite ABO oxides display an amazing variety of phenomena that can be altered by subtle changes in the chemistry and internal structure, making them a favorite class of materials to explore the rational design of novel properties. Here we highlight a recent advance in which rotations of the BO octahedra give rise to a novel form of ferroelectricity -- hybrid improper ferroelectricity. Octahedral rotations also strongly influence other structural, magnetic, orbital, and electronic degrees of freedom in perovskites and related materials. Octahedral rotation-driven ferroelectricity consequently has the potential to robustly control emergent phenomena with an applied electric field. The concept of `functional' octahedral rotations is introduced and the challenges for materials chemistry and the possibilities for new rotation-driven phenomena in multifunctional materials are explored.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1108.2915,
title = {Polar octahedral rotations: a path to new multifunctional materials},
author = {Nicole A. Benedek and Andrew T. Mulder and Craig J. Fennie},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1108.2915},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in Journal of Solid State Chemistry special issue on Polar Inorganic Materials