Emergent Multiferroic Altermagnets and Spin Control via Noncollinear Molecular Polarization

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new class of multiferroic altermagnets based on molecular ferroelectrics, demonstrating their potential for electric control of spin via noncollinear polarization, verified through theoretical models and first-principles calculations.

Contribution

It reveals the design principles and mechanisms of molecular ferroelectric altermagnets with tunable spin polarization, bridging molecular ferroelectrics and spintronics.

Findings

Noncollinear molecular polarization can switch spin polarization on and off.

First-principles calculations confirm feasibility in organic-inorganic hybrid materials.

Symmetry-based design guides the creation of tunable multiferroic altermagnets.

Abstract

Altermagnets, with spin splitting and vanishing magnetization, have been attributed to many fascinating phenomena and potential applications. In particular, integrating ferroelectricity with altermagnetism to enable magnetoelectric coupling and electric control of spin has drawn significant attention. However, its experimental realization and precise spin manipulation remain elusive. Here, by focusing on molecular ferroelectrics, the first discovered ferroelectrics renowned for their highly controllable molecular polarizations and structural flexibility, we reveal that these obstacles can be removed by an emergent multiferroic altermagnets with tunable spin polarization in a large class of fabricated organic materials. Using a symmetry-based design and a tight-binding model, we uncover the underlying mechanism of such molecular ferroelectric altermagnets and demonstrate how noncollinear molecular polarization can switch the spin polarization on and off and even reverse its sign. From the first-principles calculations, we verify the feasibility of these materials in a series of well-established hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites and metal-organic frameworks. Our findings bridge molecular ferroelectrics and altermagnetic spintronics, highlighting an unexplored potential of multifunctional organic multiferroics.