%0 Journal Article
%A Varga, Tamas
%A Droubay, Timothy C.
%A Kovarik, Libor
%A Nandasiri, Manjula I.
%A Shutthanandan, Vaithiyalingam
%A Hu, Dehong
%A Kim, Bumsoo
%A Jeon, Seokwoo
%A Hong, Seungbum
%A Li, Yulan
%A Chambers, Scott A.
%D 2017
%T Coupled
Lattice Polarization and Ferromagnetism in
Multiferroic NiTiO3 Thin Films
%U https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Coupled_Lattice_Polarization_and_Ferromagnetism_in_Multiferroic_NiTiO_sub_3_sub_Thin_Films/5142148
%R 10.1021/acsami.7b04481.s001
%2 https://acs.figshare.com/ndownloader/files/8749006
%K MTiO 3 transition metal titanates
%K NiTiO 3
%K oxide epitaxy
%K phase-field approach
%K multiferroic family
%K crystal growth
%K WFM
%K ferromagnetism
%K metastable materials
%K four-stage memories
%K LiNbO 3
%K epitaxial strain
%K work validates symmetry-based criteria
%K ferroic order parameters
%K type compounds
%K thin-film NiTiO 3
%K coexistence
%K Multiferroic NiTiO 3
%K LiNbO 3 substrate
%K electromagnetic switches
%K LiNbO 3 structure
%K first-principles calculations
%K MTiO 3
%K polarization
%K order parameters
%K Films Polarization-induced
%K Lattice Polarization
%K bulk FeTiO 3
%X Polarization-induced
weak ferromagnetism (WFM) was demonstrated a few years back in LiNbO3-type compounds, MTiO3 (M = Fe, Mn, Ni). Although
the coexistence of ferroelectric polarization and ferromagnetism has
been demonstrated in this rare multiferroic family before, first in
bulk FeTiO3, then in thin-film NiTiO3, the coupling
of the two order parameters has not been confirmed. Here, we report
the stabilization of polar, ferromagnetic NiTiO3 by oxide
epitaxy on a LiNbO3 substrate utilizing tensile strain
and demonstrate the theoretically predicted coupling between its polarization
and ferromagnetism by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism under applied
fields. The experimentally observed direction of ferroic ordering
in the film is supported by simulations using the phase-field approach.
Our work validates symmetry-based criteria and first-principles calculations
of the coexistence of ferroelectricity and WFM in MTiO3 transition metal titanates crystallizing in the LiNbO3 structure. It also demonstrates the applicability of epitaxial strain
as a viable alternative to high-pressure crystal growth to stabilize
metastable materials and a valuable tuning parameter to simultaneously
control two ferroic order parameters to create a multiferroic. Multiferroic
NiTiO3 has potential applications in spintronics where
ferroic switching is used, such as new four-stage memories and electromagnetic
switches.
%I ACS Publications