Document Type
Article
Version
Final Published Version
Publication Title
Physical Review Letters
Volume
121
Publication Date
2018
Abstract
To tune the magnetic properties of hexagonal ferrites, a family of magnetoelectric multiferroic materials, by atomic-scale structural engineering, we studied the effect of structural distortion on the magnetic ordering temperature (TN) in these materials. Using the symmetry analysis, we show that unlike most antiferromagnetic rare-earth transition-metal perovskites, a larger structural distortion leads to a higher TN in hexagonal ferrites and manganites, because the K3 structural distortion induces the three-dimensional magnetic ordering, which is forbidden in the undistorted structure by symmetry. We also revealed a near-linear relation between TN and the tolerance factor and a power-law relation between TN and the K3 distortion amplitude. Following the analysis, a record-high TN(185 K) among hexagonal ferrites was predicted in hexagonal ScFeO3 and experimentally verified in epitaxially stabilized films. These results add to the paradigm of spin-lattice coupling in antiferromagnetic oxides and suggests further tunability of hexagonal ferrites if more lattice distortion can be achieved.
Citation
Sinha, Kishan, Haohan Wang, Xiao Wang, Liying Zhou, Yuewei Yin, Wenbin Wang, Xuemei Cheng, David J. Keavney, Huibo Cao, Yaohua Liu, Xifan Wu, and Xiaoshan Xu. 2018. "Tuning the Néel Temperature of Hexagonal Ferrites by Structural Distortion." Physical Review Letters 121.23: 237203.
DOI
http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.237203
