Recent progress in single-phase molecular multiferroic materials with ferroelectricity and ferroelasticity.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Chemistry

Background:

• Single-phase multiferroic materials exhibit coupled ferroelectricity and ferroelasticity, enabling applications in multistate memory, sensors, and energy converters.
• Molecular multiferroics are gaining attention for their structural diversity, tunability, mechanical flexibility, and environmental friendliness.
• Existing reviews lack a systematic overview of molecular multiferroic materials, focusing instead on single properties or specific systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in single-phase multiferroic materials with simultaneous ferroelectric and ferroelastic orders.
• To summarize key experimental findings and elucidate the relationship between molecular design and material performance.
• To explore potential applications of molecular multiferroics in flexible electronics, biomimetic sensing, and bio-integrated devices.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent experimental findings on molecular multiferroic materials.
• Analysis of structure-property relationships based on molecular design strategies.
• Exploration of emerging applications in flexible and bio-integrated electronic devices.

Main Results:

• Molecular multiferroics demonstrate significant mechanical flexibility and stress response, facilitating the study of polarization-strain coupling.
• Recent progress highlights the potential of tailored molecular designs for enhanced multiferroic properties.
• Diverse applications are emerging in areas requiring flexible and responsive electronic components.

Conclusions:

• This review provides a systematic overview of molecular multiferroics, bridging the gap in current literature.
• Understanding molecular design principles is crucial for optimizing multiferroic performance.
• Molecular multiferroics are poised to drive innovation in flexible electronics, sensing, and bio-integrated systems, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.