We report the remarkably robust ferroelectric state in the multiferroic compound Mn1−xZnxWO4. The substitution of the magnetic Mn2+ with nonmagnetic Zn2+ reduces the magnetic exchange and provides control of the various magnetic and multiferroic states of MnWO4. Only 5 % of Zn substitution results in a complete suppression of the frustrated collinear (paraelectric) low temperature phase. The helical magnetic and ferroelectric phase develops as the ground state. The multiferroic state is stable up to a high level of substitution of more than 50 %. The magnetic, thermodynamic, and dielectric properties as well as the ferroelectric polarization of single crystals of Mn1−xZnxWO4 are studied for different substitutions up to x=0.5. The magnetic phases have been identified in single crystal neutron scattering experiments. The ferroelectric polarization scales with the neutron intensity of the incommensurate peak of the helical phase.
@article{arxiv.1011.6645,
title = {Robust Ferroelectric State in Multiferroic Mn$_{1-x}$Zn$_x$WO$_4$},
author = {R. P. Chaudhury and F. Ye and J. A. Fernandez-Baca and B. Lorenz and Y. Q. Wang and Y. Y. Sun and H. A. Mook and C. W. Chu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1011.6645},
year = {2011}
}