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Multiferroicity in the Two-Dimensional Limit in Hexagonal LuFeO_{3} Films
Huilin Lai1,2, Junyu Tan1,2, Jinfeng Zhai1,2
1Fudan University, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Institute for Nanoelectronic Devices and Quantum Computing, Shanghai 200433, China.
Physical Review Letters
|July 26, 2026
Summary
Ultrathin multiferroic oxides, hexagonal LuFeO3, maintain robust ferroelectric and magnetic orders at the atomic scale. This discovery challenges previous theories and opens new avenues for nanoscale quantum materials research.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Quantum Materials
Background:
- Multiferroic oxides exhibit coexisting ferroelectric and magnetic orders, crucial for correlated quantum phenomena.
- Ferroelectricity and magnetism are typically suppressed in two-dimensional (2D) materials due to depolarization and finite-size effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the persistence of multiferroic behavior in ultrathin hexagonal LuFeO3 (h-LuFeO3) approaching the 2D limit.
- To understand the structural and magnetic properties of h-LuFeO3 at the atomic scale.
Main Methods:
- Experimental synthesis and characterization of ultrathin h-LuFeO3 films.
- Structural analysis to determine the stability of polar distortions.
- Magnetic measurements to assess magnetic order and its coupling with ferroelectricity.
Main Results:
- h-LuFeO3 retains robust multiferroic behavior down to 1.5 unit cells.
- Polar structural distortion and magnetic order persist at room and low temperatures, respectively.
- Magnetic response is controllable via ferroelectric domain-state manipulation.
Conclusions:
- h-LuFeO3 serves as a unique oxide platform for atomic-scale multiferroicity.
- The stability of K3 distortion underpins ferroelectricity in ultrathin h-LuFeO3.
- Coupled ferroic behavior can be sustained in complex oxides at the 2D limit.
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