Electrical Control of Magnetic Phase Transition in a Type-I Multiferroic Double-Metal Trihalide Monolayer

Meiling Xu, Chengxi Huang, Yinwei Li, Siyu Liu, Xin Zhong, Puru Jena, Erjun Kan, and Yanchao Wang
Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 067602 – Published 14 February 2020
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Abstract

Controlling magnetism of two-dimensional multiferroics by an external electric field provides special opportunities for both fundamental research and future development of low-cost electronic nanodevices. Here, we report a general scheme for realizing a magnetic phase transition in 2D type-I multiferroic systems through the reversal of ferroelectric polarization. Based on first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that a single-phase 2D multiferroic, namely, ReWCl6 monolayer, exhibits two different low-symmetric (C2) phases with opposite in-plane electric polarization and different magnetic order. As a result, an antiferromagnetic-to-ferromagnetic phase transition can be realized by reversing the in-plane electric polarization through the application of an external electric field. These findings not only enrich the 2D multiferroic family, but also uncover a unique and general mechanism to control magnetism by electric field, thus stimulating experimental interest.

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  • Received 21 July 2019
  • Revised 12 November 2019
  • Accepted 3 January 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.067602

© 2020 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Meiling Xu1,*, Chengxi Huang2,3,*, Yinwei Li1,†, Siyu Liu4, Xin Zhong5, Puru Jena3, Erjun Kan2,‡, and Yanchao Wang4,§

  • 1School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
  • 2Department of Applied Physics and Institution of Energy and Microstructure, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, China
  • 3Physics Department, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23284, USA
  • 4State Key Lab of Superhard Materials & International center of computational method and software,College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
  • 5Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Physics and Chemistry of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Normal University, Changchun 130103, China

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • Corresponding author. yinwei_li@jsnu.edu.cn
  • Corresponding author. ekan@njust.edu.cn
  • §Corresponding author. wyc@calypso.cn

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Issue

Vol. 124, Iss. 6 — 14 February 2020

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