Related papers: Mechanisms for collective inversion-symmetry break…
Ferroelectricity, a hallmark of spontaneous inversion-symmetry breaking, has been a central concept in condensed matter physics and functional materials research, yet recent discoveries are revealing that switchable polarization can emerge…
The central goal of crystal engineering is to develop precise control over material function \emph{via} rational design of structure. A particularly successful realisation of this paradigm is the example of hybrid improper ferroelectricity…
Halide perovskite semiconductors respond to electric fields in a way that varies across time and length scales. We discuss the microscopic processes that give rise to the macroscopic polarization of these materials, ranging from the optical…
We uncover a new pathway towards multiferroicity, showing how magnetism can drive ferroelectricity without relying on inversion symmetry breaking of the magnetic ordering. Our free-energy analysis demonstrates that any commensurate…
We performed first principles calculations for epitaxially strained orthorhombic CaTiO$_3$. The computational results reveal the existence of a metastable ferroelectric phase at compressive strain with unexpected in-plane polarization.…
Metal-organic frameworks comprehend a wide class of hybrid organic-inorganic materials with general structure A$_m$BX$_n$, with $A$ and $X$ being organic molecules and B a metal cation. This often results in enhanced structural flexibility…
The presence of a switchable spontaneous electric polarization makes ferroelectrics ideal candidates for the use in many applications such as memory and sensors devices. Since known ferroelectrics are rather limited, finding new…
Hybrid organic--inorganic perovskites with broken inversion symmetry provide a fertile ground for uncovering coupled spin-orbit and ferroelectric phenomena. Here, we investigate the layered family (PA)$_2$CsY$_2$X$_7$ (Y = Pb, Sn; X = I,…
Using first-principles calculations, we predict that tunable ferroelectricity can be realized in oxide perovskites with the Grenier structure and ordered oxygen vacancies. Specifically, we show that $R_{1/3}A_{2/3}\mathrm{FeO}_{2.67}$…
The wealth of complex polar topologies recently found in nanoscale ferroelectrics result from a delicate balance between the materials intrinsic tendency to develop a homogeneous polarization and the electric and mechanic boundary…
Ferroelectric materials can switch their polarization in response to an applied electric field. In this work, ferroelectricity at the single molecule level is proposed and investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations.…
We have performed dielectric measurements and neutron diffraction experiments on the double perovskite In2NiMnO6. A ferroelectric polarization, P ~ 30 {\mu}C/m2, is observed in a polycrystalline sample below TN = 26 K where a magnetic phase…
The oxide heterostructure [(YFeO$_3$)$_5$(LaFeO$_3$)$_5$]$_{40}$, which is magnetically ordered and piezoelectric at room temperature, has been constructed from two weak ferromagnetic AFeO$_3$ perovskites with different A cations using…
It is of great interest to design and make materials in which ferroelectric polarisation is coupled to other order parameters such as lattice, magnetic and electronic instabilities. Such materials will be invaluable in next-generation data…
By means of a model Hamiltonian approach we study the role of volume expansion, Hund's coupling and electron correlation in the standard hybridization mechanism for ferroelectricity in cubic CaMnO$_3$, a prototypical non-$d^0$ perovskite.…
Crystallography and dielectric properties in Dion-Jacobson layered perovskites, CsNdNb$_2$O$_7$ and RbNdNb$_2$O$_7$, have been examined in dense polycrystalline samples, and polarization hysteresis loops that substantiate ferroelectricity…
The polarization and strain response of ferroelectric materials at fields below the macroscopic coercive field is of a paramount importance for the operation of many electronic devices. The response of real ferroelectric and related…
Using first principles calculations we show that several alkali lead halides potentially present collective ferroelectric polarization. This should occur at least at the nanoscale; it could be detected macroscopically provided it is not…
Ferroelectric HfO$_2$ has emerged as a highly promising material for high-density nonvolatile memory and nanoscale transistor applications. However, the uncertain origin of polarization in HfO$_2$ limits our ability to fully understand and…
A wide variety of applications has inspired great interest in designing new materials and investigating fundamental physics in the ferroelectric field. In the concept of ferroelectricity, the spontaneous polarization is traditionally…