title: Magnetism-Driven Ferroelectricity in Double Perovskite Y₂NiMnO₆.
abstract: We report the discovery of multiferroic behavior in double perovskite Y2NiMnO6. X-ray diffraction shows that the material has a centrosymmetric crystal structure of space group P2(1)/n with Ni(2+)/Mn(4+) ordering. This result is further confirmed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with atomic resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. The appearance of ferroelectric polarization coincides with the magnetic phase transition (∼67 K), which indicates that the ferroelectricity is driven by magnetism, and this is further confirmed by its strong magnetoelectric (ME) effect. We proposed the origin of the ferroelectricity is associated with the combination of Ni(2+)/Mn(4+) charge ordering and the ↑↑↓↓ spin ordering. When compared with other known magnetic multiferroics, Y2NiMnO6 displays several attractive multiferroic properties, including high polarization (∼145 μC/m(2)), a high multiferroic transition temperature (∼67 K), and strong ME coupling (∼21%).
authors.affiliation: †College of Physics Science, Key Laboratory of Photonics Materials and Technology in Universities of Shandong, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road, Qingdao Shinan District No. 22, Qingdao 266071, China.|§National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Physics School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: ‡Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Z Z
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: §National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Physics School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: §National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Physics School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: ‡Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: †College of Physics Science, Key Laboratory of Photonics Materials and Technology in Universities of Shandong, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road, Qingdao Shinan District No. 22, Qingdao 266071, China.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: †College of Physics Science, Key Laboratory of Photonics Materials and Technology in Universities of Shandong, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road, Qingdao Shinan District No. 22, Qingdao 266071, China.
authors.forename: Q C
authors.initials: QC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: §National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Physics School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: J-M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: §National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Physics School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: STEM; Y2NiMnO6; magnetoelectric effect; multiferroics; sol−gel