posted on 2020-07-07, 20:14authored byAmanda Clune, Nathan Harms, Kenneth R. O’Neal, Kendall Hughey, Kevin A. Smith, Dimuthu Obeysekera, John Haddock, Naresh S. Dalal, Junjie Yang, Zhenxian Liu, Janice L. Musfeldt
We
combined Raman scattering and magnetic susceptibility to explore the
properties of [(CH3)2NH2]Mn(HCOO)3 under compression. Analysis of the formate bending mode reveals
a broad two-phase region surrounding the 4.2 GPa critical pressure
that becomes increasingly sluggish below the order–disorder
transition due to the extensive hydrogen-bonding network. Although
the paraelectric and ferroelectric phases have different space groups
at ambient-pressure conditions, they both drive toward P1 symmetry under compression. This is a direct consequence of how
the order–disorder transition changes under pressure. We bring
these findings together with prior magnetization work to create a
pressure–temperature–magnetic field phase diagram, unveiling
entanglement, competition, and a progression of symmetry-breaking
effects that underlie functionality in this molecule-based multiferroic.
That the high-pressure P1 phase is a subgroup of
the ferroelectric Cc suggests the possibility of
enhanced electric polarization as well as opportunity for strain control.