Sliding ferroelectric metal with ferrimagnetism.

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Solid-State Chemistry

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2D) materials offer unique electronic and magnetic properties.
• Ferroelectricity and magnetism in 2D materials are actively researched for novel device applications.
• Coupling ferroelectric and magnetic orders in 2D metals remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a general strategy for constructing 2D sliding ferroelectric ferrimagnetic metals.
• To achieve simultaneous switching of ferroelectric polarization, spin splitting, and net magnetic moment.
• To explore novel transport phenomena arising from the interplay of ferroelectricity and magnetism.

Main Methods:

• Designing a sliding bilayer ferroelectric metal with ferrimagnetic order using Fe5GeTe2.
• Investigating ferroelectric phase transitions driven by relative interlayer sliding.
• Analyzing the breaking of in-plane mirror symmetry and its effect on spin degeneracy.

Main Results:

• A prototype 2D sliding ferroelectric metal exhibiting ferrimagnetic order was successfully designed.
• A ferroelectric phase transition from a nonpolar antiferromagnetic to a ferroelectric ferrimagnetic phase was observed.
• Triply-coupled switching of ferroelectric polarization, spin splitting, and net magnetic moment was achieved via ferroelectric switching.
• Sign-reversible transport responses near the Fermi level were observed and electrically modulated.

Conclusions:

• The developed strategy enables the construction of 2D sliding ferroelectric ferrimagnetic metals.
• These materials exhibit robust coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic orders.
• The findings open new avenues for designing next-generation electronic and spintronic devices.