Multiferroic hexagonal ferrites (h-RFeO$_3$, R=Y, Dy-Lu): an experimental review

TL;DR

This review discusses the recent discovery and properties of hexagonal ferrites h-RFeO$_3$ as multiferroic materials with potential for room-temperature applications, emphasizing their structure, ferroelectricity, magnetism, and thin film growth.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the structural, ferroelectric, magnetic, and magnetoelectric properties of h-RFeO$_3$, highlighting recent experimental findings and growth techniques.

Findings

h-RFeO$_3$ exhibits coexisting electric and magnetic polarizations.

Potential for room-temperature multiferroicity and magnetoelectric effects.

Importance of thin film growth for high-quality material synthesis.

Abstract

Hexagonal ferrites (h-RFeO$_3$, R=Y, Dy-Lu) have recently been identified as a new family of multiferroic complex oxides. The coexisting spontaneous electric and magnetic polarizations make h-RFeO$_3$ rare-case ferroelectric ferromagnets at low temperature. Plus the room-temperature multiferroicity and predicted magnetoelectric effect, h-RFeO$_3$ are promising materials for multiferroic applications. Here we review the structural, ferroelectric, magnetic, and magnetoelectric properties of h-RFeO$_3$. The thin film growth is also discussed because it is critical in making high quality single crystalline materials for studying intrinsic properties.