Low-dimensional magnetic systems based on honeycomb lattices provide a promising platform for exploring exotic quantum phenomena that emerge from the intricate interplay of competing spin, orbital, lattice, and dipolar degrees of freedom. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the layered honeycomb lattice antiferromagnet BiCrTeO6 using magnetization, specific heat, muon spin--relaxation (μSR) spectroscopy, dielectric, pyrocurrent, and high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) measurements. Our results reveal an array of intriguing and strongly correlated phenomena, including two successive antiferromagnetic transitions at TN1≈16 K and TN2≈11 K, a pronounced magnetodielectric coupling effect, and ferroelectric order at TN2. Consequently, this compound emerges as a new spin-driven multiferroic system. The SXRD analysis reveals a magnetoelastic-coupling-induced structural phase transition at TN2, characterized by a symmetry lowering from P3ˉ1c (163) to P31c (159), which likely triggers the onset of ferroelectricity. In addition to its low-temperature multiferroic behavior, the system exhibits dielectric relaxor characteristics at higher temperatures within the paramagnetic region (T<50 K), which is intrinsically linked to the antisite disorder of Cr and Te atoms.
@article{arxiv.2512.13387,
title = {Successive magnetic transitions and multiferroicity in layered honeycomb BiCrTeO$_{6}$},
author = {Arkadeb Pal and P. H. Lee and J. Khatua and C. W. Wang and J. Gainza and A. Fitch and Thomas J. Hicken and H. Luetkens and Y. J. Hu and Ajay Tiwari and D. Chandrasekhar Kakarla and J. Y. Lin and K. Y. Choi and G. R. Blake and H. D. Yang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.13387},
year = {2025}
}