A ferroelectric-like structural transition in a metal.
Metals cannot exhibit ferroelectricity because static internal electric fields are screened by conduction electrons, but in 1965, Anderson and Blount predicted the possibility of a ferroelectric metal, in which a ferroelectric-like structural transition occurs in the metallic state. Up to now, no clear example of such a material has been identified. Here we report on a centrosymmetric (R3c) to non-centrosymmetric (R3c) transition in metallic LiOsO3 that is structurally equivalent to the ferroelectric transition of LiNbO3 (ref. 3). The transition involves a continuous shift in the mean position of Li(+) ions on cooling below 140 K. Its discovery realizes the scenario described in ref. 2, and establishes a new class of materials whose properties may differ from those of normal metals.
1] Superconducting Properties Unit, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan [2] Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China [3].
Youguo
Y
Shi
Yanfeng
Y
Guo
Xia
X
Wang
Andrew J
AJ
Princep
Dmitry
D
Khalyavin
Pascal
P
Manuel
Yuichi
Y
Michiue
Akira
A
Sato
Kenji
K
Tsuda
Shan
S
Yu
Masao
M
Arai
Yuichi
Y
Shirako
Masaki
M
Akaogi
Nanlin
N
Wang
Kazunari
K
Yamaura
Andrew T
AT
Boothroyd