High-pressure single crystal growth and magnetoelectric properties of CdMn₇O₁₂

The concurrent presence of large electric polarization and strong magnetoelectric coupling is quite desirable for potential applications of multiferroics. In this paper, we report the growth of CdMn₇O₁₂single crystals by flux method under a high pressure of 8 GPa for the first time. An antiferromagnetic (AFM) order with a polar magnetic point group is found to occur at the onset temperature ofT_N1= 88 K (AFM1 phase). As a consequence, the pyroelectric current emerges atT_N1and gradually increases and reaches its maximum atT_set= 63 K, at which the AFM1 phase finally settles down. BelowT_set, CdMn₇O₁₂single crystal exhibits a large ferroelectric polarization up to 2640µC m^-2. Moreover, the spin-induced electric polarization can be readily tuned by applying magnetic fields, giving rise to considerable magnetoelectric coupling effects. Thus, the current CdMn₇O₁₂single crystal acts as a rare multiferroic system where both large polarization and strong magnetoelectric coupling merge concurrently.