Noncollinear ferroelectric and screw-type antiferroelectric phases in a metal-free hybrid molecular crystal

Abstract Noncollinear dipole textures greatly extend the scientific merits and application perspective of ferroic materials. In fact, noncollinear spin textures have been well recognized as one of the core issues of condensed matter, e.g. cycloidal/conical magnets with multiferroicity and magnetic s...

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Main Authors: Na Wang, Zhong Shen, Wang Luo, Hua-Kai Li, Ze-Jiang Xu, Chao Shi, Heng-Yun Ye, Shuai Dong, Le-Ping Miao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-11-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54596-1
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author Na Wang
Zhong Shen
Wang Luo
Hua-Kai Li
Ze-Jiang Xu
Chao Shi
Heng-Yun Ye
Shuai Dong
Le-Ping Miao
author_facet Na Wang
Zhong Shen
Wang Luo
Hua-Kai Li
Ze-Jiang Xu
Chao Shi
Heng-Yun Ye
Shuai Dong
Le-Ping Miao
author_sort Na Wang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Noncollinear dipole textures greatly extend the scientific merits and application perspective of ferroic materials. In fact, noncollinear spin textures have been well recognized as one of the core issues of condensed matter, e.g. cycloidal/conical magnets with multiferroicity and magnetic skyrmions with topological properties. However, the counterparts in electrical polarized materials are less studied and thus urgently needed, since electric dipoles are usually aligned collinearly in most ferroelectrics/antiferroelectrics. Molecular crystals with electric dipoles provide a rich ore to explore the noncollinear polarity. Here we report an organic salt (H2Dabco)BrClO4 (H2Dabco = N,N’−1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octonium) that shows a transition between the ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases. Based on experimental characterizations and ab initio calculations, it is found that its electric dipoles present nontrivial noncollinear textures with 60o-twisting angle between the neighbors. Then the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric transition can be understood as the coding of twisting angle sequence. Our study reveals the unique science of noncollinear electric polarity.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2041-1723
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
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series Nature Communications
spelling doaj-art-967f6e5b1a0346f8a22b3b291c1ed58c2024-12-01T12:33:01ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-11-011511810.1038/s41467-024-54596-1Noncollinear ferroelectric and screw-type antiferroelectric phases in a metal-free hybrid molecular crystalNa Wang0Zhong Shen1Wang Luo2Hua-Kai Li3Ze-Jiang Xu4Chao Shi5Heng-Yun Ye6Shuai Dong7Le-Ping Miao8Chaotic Matter Science Research Center, Department of Materials, Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and TechnologyKey Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast UniversityChaotic Matter Science Research Center, Department of Materials, Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and TechnologyChaotic Matter Science Research Center, Department of Materials, Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and TechnologyChaotic Matter Science Research Center, Department of Materials, Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and TechnologyChaotic Matter Science Research Center, Department of Materials, Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and TechnologyChaotic Matter Science Research Center, Department of Materials, Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and TechnologyKey Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast UniversityChaotic Matter Science Research Center, Department of Materials, Metallurgy and Chemistry, Jiangxi University of Science and TechnologyAbstract Noncollinear dipole textures greatly extend the scientific merits and application perspective of ferroic materials. In fact, noncollinear spin textures have been well recognized as one of the core issues of condensed matter, e.g. cycloidal/conical magnets with multiferroicity and magnetic skyrmions with topological properties. However, the counterparts in electrical polarized materials are less studied and thus urgently needed, since electric dipoles are usually aligned collinearly in most ferroelectrics/antiferroelectrics. Molecular crystals with electric dipoles provide a rich ore to explore the noncollinear polarity. Here we report an organic salt (H2Dabco)BrClO4 (H2Dabco = N,N’−1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octonium) that shows a transition between the ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phases. Based on experimental characterizations and ab initio calculations, it is found that its electric dipoles present nontrivial noncollinear textures with 60o-twisting angle between the neighbors. Then the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric transition can be understood as the coding of twisting angle sequence. Our study reveals the unique science of noncollinear electric polarity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54596-1
spellingShingle Na Wang
Zhong Shen
Wang Luo
Hua-Kai Li
Ze-Jiang Xu
Chao Shi
Heng-Yun Ye
Shuai Dong
Le-Ping Miao
Noncollinear ferroelectric and screw-type antiferroelectric phases in a metal-free hybrid molecular crystal
Nature Communications
title Noncollinear ferroelectric and screw-type antiferroelectric phases in a metal-free hybrid molecular crystal
title_full Noncollinear ferroelectric and screw-type antiferroelectric phases in a metal-free hybrid molecular crystal
title_fullStr Noncollinear ferroelectric and screw-type antiferroelectric phases in a metal-free hybrid molecular crystal
title_full_unstemmed Noncollinear ferroelectric and screw-type antiferroelectric phases in a metal-free hybrid molecular crystal
title_short Noncollinear ferroelectric and screw-type antiferroelectric phases in a metal-free hybrid molecular crystal
title_sort noncollinear ferroelectric and screw type antiferroelectric phases in a metal free hybrid molecular crystal
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54596-1
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