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Published on: October 12, 2019
Probing Type-II Multiferroicity in Monolayer NiBr2
Aleš Cahlík, Antti Karjasilta1, Anshika Mishra1
1Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|August 13, 2026
Summary
Type-II multiferroicity in nickel dihalides is chemically tunable. Researchers visualized ferroelectric order in monolayer NiBr2, confirming magnetoelectric coupling and establishing nickel dihalides as a versatile platform for engineering magnetoelectric phases.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Type-II multiferroicity was recently discovered in monolayer NiI2, suggesting intrinsic magnetoelectric coupling in 2D materials.
- The chemical tunability of this phenomenon in related materials remained unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the chemical tunability of type-II multiferroicity in nickel dihalides.
- To visualize and characterize ferroelectric order in monolayer NiBr2.
Main Methods:
- Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to resolve atomic-scale ferroelectric domains.
- Reciprocal manipulation experiments to confirm magnetoelectric coupling.
Main Results:
- Ferroelectric order was visualized in monolayer NiBr2, demonstrating tunable type-II multiferroicity.
- Magnetoelectric coupling was confirmed by manipulating magnetic order with electric fields and vice versa.
- The multiferroic state in NiBr2 is less robust than in NiI2, linked to modified superexchange and reduced spin-orbit coupling (SOC).
Conclusions:
- Nickel dihalides represent a versatile platform for engineering magnetoelectric phases via chemical substitution.
- Halide ligand substitution offers a pathway to tune multiferroic properties in 2D materials.
