Evidence for multiferroicity in single-layer CuCrSe2

Zhenyu Sun; Yueqi Su; Aomiao Zhi; Zhicheng Gao; Xu Han; Kang Wu; Lihong Bao; Yuan Huang; Youguo Shi; Xuedong Bai; Peng Cheng; Lan Chen; Kehui Wu; Xuezeng Tian; Changzheng Wu; Baojie Feng

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-48636-z

Evidence for multiferroicity in single-layer CuCrSe₂

Nat Commun. 2024 May 18;15(1):4252. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-48636-z.

Authors

Zhenyu Sun^#^{1

2

3}, Yueqi Su^#^{4

5

6}, Aomiao Zhi^#^{1

3}, Zhicheng Gao^{1

3}, Xu Han⁷, Kang Wu^{1

3}, Lihong Bao^{1

3}, Yuan Huang⁷, Youguo Shi^{1

3}, Xuedong Bai^{1

3

8}, Peng Cheng^{1

3}, Lan Chen^{9

10

11}, Kehui Wu^{1

3

8

12}, Xuezeng Tian^{13

14}, Changzheng Wu^{15

16

17}, Baojie Feng^{18

19

20

21}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
² Department of Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
³ School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
⁴ School of Chemistry and Materials Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
⁵ CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, and CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Hefei, 230026, China.
⁶ Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Hefei, 230026, China.
⁷ Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China.
⁸ Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China.
⁹ Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China. lchen@iphy.ac.cn.
¹⁰ School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. lchen@iphy.ac.cn.
¹¹ Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China. lchen@iphy.ac.cn.
¹² Interdisciplinary Institute of Light-Element Quantum Materials and Research Center for Light-Element Advanced Materials, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
¹³ Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China. tianxuezeng@iphy.ac.cn.
¹⁴ School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. tianxuezeng@iphy.ac.cn.
¹⁵ School of Chemistry and Materials Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China. czwu@ustc.edu.cn.
¹⁶ CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, and CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Hefei, 230026, China. czwu@ustc.edu.cn.
¹⁷ Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Hefei, 230026, China. czwu@ustc.edu.cn.
¹⁸ Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China. bjfeng@iphy.ac.cn.
¹⁹ School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. bjfeng@iphy.ac.cn.
²⁰ Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong, 523808, China. bjfeng@iphy.ac.cn.
²¹ Interdisciplinary Institute of Light-Element Quantum Materials and Research Center for Light-Element Advanced Materials, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China. bjfeng@iphy.ac.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Multiferroic materials, which simultaneously exhibit ferroelectricity and magnetism, have attracted substantial attention due to their fascinating physical properties and potential technological applications. With the trends towards device miniaturization, there is an increasing demand for the persistence of multiferroicity in single-layer materials at elevated temperatures. Here, we report high-temperature multiferroicity in single-layer CuCrSe₂, which hosts room-temperature ferroelectricity and 120 K ferromagnetism. Notably, the ferromagnetic coupling in single-layer CuCrSe₂ is enhanced by the ferroelectricity-induced orbital shift of Cr atoms, which is distinct from both types I and II multiferroicity. These findings are supported by a combination of second-harmonic generation, piezo-response force microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, magnetic, and Hall measurements. Our research provides not only an exemplary platform for delving into intrinsic magnetoelectric interactions at the single-layer limit but also sheds light on potential development of electronic and spintronic devices utilizing two-dimensional multiferroics.

Abstract

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