Autferroicity: concept, candidates, and applications

TL;DR

Autferroicity is a newly defined hybrid ferroic phenomenon involving mutually exclusive magnetic and polar phases, with potential applications in memory and random number generation, supported by theoretical insights and candidate materials.

Contribution

This paper introduces the concept of autferroicity, explores its phase diagram, and identifies candidate materials, expanding the understanding of hybrid ferroic systems.

Findings

Autferroicity involves seesaw-type magnetoelectric coupling.

Ti-based trichalcogenide monolayers are potential autferroic candidates.

Autferroicity has promising applications in nonvolatile memory and random number generation.

Abstract

Autferroicity is a newly proposed form of hybrid ferroicity, which is a sister branch of multiferroicity. It is characterized by the mutually exclusive magnetic and polar phases within a single system, giving a unique seesaw-type magnetoelectric coupling. This perspective provides a theoretical overview of its underlying concept, phase diagram characteristics, and representative candidates such as Ti-based trichalcogenide monolayers, while also highlighting its potential applications in nonvolatile memory devices and true random number generation.