Materials that lose functionality due to elevated temperatures, whether from ambient conditions or device-generated heat, have limited practical applications. This challenge is a primary limitation of multiferroic materials, which exhibit strong coupling between magnetism and ferroelectricity. Despite this constraint, the coupling effect makes multiferroics a relevant research area.
This advancement enhances the feasibility of multiferroics for applications in spintronics, low-power memory devices, and light-emitting diodes.
This work may pave new avenues for exploring high-temperature multiferroics.
Shimon Tajima, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University
The researchers achieved high-temperature multiferroic behavior by integrating two key mechanisms: the coupling between electric polarization and mechanical strain, known as the piezoelectric effect, and the coupling between mechanical strain and magnetization, known as the magnetoelastic effect.
This combination facilitated the activation of the magnetoelectric effect—the direct coupling between electric polarization and magnetization—at elevated temperatures. The magnetoelectric effect is the primary functional property of multiferroic materials.
We have succeeded in raising the working temperature of multiferroics, enabling them to operate stably at room temperature or higher. This breakthrough could lead to power-saving spintronics devices, advanced optical devices, and more.
Shimon Tajima, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University
Journal Reference:
Tajima, S., et al. (2024) A high-temperature multiferroic Tb2(MoO4)3. Communications Materials. doi.org/10.1038/s43246-024-00717-8.