First-principles investigation of the magnetoelectric properties of Ba7Mn4O15.

Type-II multiferroics, in which the magnetic order breaks inversion symmetry, are appealing for both fundamental and applied research due their intrinsic coupling between magnetic and electrical orders. Using first-principles calculations we study the ground state magnetic behaviour of Ba7Mn4O15which has been classified as a type-II multiferroic in recent experiments. Our constrained moment calculations with the proposed experimental magnetic structure shows the spontaneous emergence of a polar mode giving rise to an electrical polarisation comparable to other known type-II multiferroics. When the constraints on the magnetic moments are removed, the spins self-consistently relax into a canted antiferromagnetic ground state configuration where two magnetic modes transforming as distinct irreducible representations coexist. While the dominant magnetic mode matches well with the previous experimental observations, the second mode is found to possess a different character resulting in a non-polar ground state. Interestingly, the non-polar magnetic ground state exhibits a significantly strong linear magnetoelectric (ME) coupling comparable to the well-known multiferroic BiFeO3, suggesting strategies to design new linear MEs.

Oxidative Addition of C-Cl Bonds to a Rh(PONOP) Pincer Complex.

Straightforward procedures for the generation of rhodium(I) κCl-chlorocarbon complexes of the form [Rh(PONOP-tBu)(κ Cl-ClR)][BArF 4] [R = CH2Cl, A; Ph, 1; Cy, 2; tBu, 3; PONOP-tBu = 2,6-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinito)pyridine; ArF = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl] in solution are described, enabling isolation of analytically pure A and crystallographic characterization of the new complexes 1 and 2. Complex 1 was found to be stable at ambient temperature, but prolonged heating in chlorobenzene at 125 °C resulted in formation of [Rh(PONOP-tBu)(Ph)Cl][BArF 4] 4 with experimental and literature evidence pointing toward a concerted C(sp2)-Cl bond oxidative addition mechanism. C(sp3)-Cl bond activation of dichloromethane, chlorocyclohexane, and 2-chloro-2-methylpropane by the rhodium(I) pincer occurred under considerably milder conditions, and radical mechanisms that commence with chloride atom abstraction and involve generation of the rhodium(II) metalloradical [Rh(PONOP-tBu)Cl][BArF 4] 6 are instead proposed. For dichloromethane, [Rh(PONOP-tBu)(CH2Cl)Cl][BArF 4] 5 was formed in the dark, but facile photo-induced reductive elimination occurred when exposed to light. Net dehydrochlorination affording [Rh(PONOP-tBu)(H)Cl][BArF 4] 7 and an alkene byproduct resulted for chlorocyclohexane and 2-chloro-2-methylpropane, consistent with hydrogen atom abstraction from the corresponding alkyl radicals by 6. This suggestion is supported by dynamic hydrogen atom transfer between 6 and 7 on the 1H NMR time scale at 298 K in the presence of TEMPO.

Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetoelectric Ba7Mn4O15.

We present the synthesis of a novel binary metal oxide material: Ba7Mn4O15. The crystal structure has been investigated by high-resolution powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction in the temperature range of 100-300 K as well as by powder neutron diffraction at 10 and 80 K. This material represents an isostructural barium-substituted analogue of the layered material Sr7Mn4O15 that forms its own structural class. However, we find that Ba7Mn4O15 adopts a distinct magnetic ordering, resulting in a magnetoelectric ground state below 50 K. The likely magnetoelectric coupling mechanisms have been inferred from performing a careful symmetry-adapted refinement against the powder neutron diffraction experiments, as well as by making a comparison with the nonmagnetoelectric ground state of Sr7Mn4O15.

Recovering local structure information from high-pressure total scattering experiments.

High pressure is a powerful thermodynamic tool for exploring the structure and the phase behaviour of the crystalline state, and is now widely used in conventional crystallographic measurements. High-pressure local structure measurements using neutron diffraction have, thus far, been limited by the presence of a strongly scattering, perdeuterated, pressure-transmitting medium (PTM), the signal from which contaminates the resulting pair distribution functions (PDFs). Here, a method is reported for subtracting the pairwise correlations of the commonly used 4:1 methanol:ethanol PTM from neutron PDFs obtained under hydro-static compression. The method applies a molecular-dynamics-informed empirical correction and a non-negative matrix factorization algorithm to recover the PDF of the pure sample. Proof of principle is demonstrated, producing corrected high-pressure PDFs of simple crystalline materials, Ni and MgO, and benchmarking these against simulated data from the average structure. Finally, the first local structure determination of α-quartz under hydro-static pressure is presented, extracting compression behaviour of the real-space structure.

Striping of orbital-order with charge-disorder in optimally doped manganites.

The phase diagrams of LaMnO3 perovskites have been intensely studied due to the colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) exhibited by compositions around the [Formula: see text] doping level. However, phase segregation between ferromagnetic (FM) metallic and antiferromagnetic (AFM) insulating states, which itself is believed to be responsible for the colossal change in resistance under applied magnetic field, has prevented an atomistic-level understanding of the orbital ordered (OO) state at this doping level. Here, through the detailed crystallographic analysis of the phase diagram of a prototype system (AMn[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O12), we show that the superposition of two distinct lattice modes gives rise to a striping of OO Jahn-Teller active Mn3+ and charge disordered (CD) Mn3.5+ layers in a 1:3 ratio. This superposition only gives a cancellation of the Jahn-Teller-like displacements at the critical doping level. This striping of CD Mn3.5+ with Mn3+ provides a natural mechanism though which long range OO can melt, giving way to a conducting state.

Symmetry-adapted pair distribution function analysis (SAPA): a novel approach to evaluating lattice dynamics and local distortions from total scattering data.

A novel symmetry-adapted pair distribution function analysis (SAPA) method for extracting information on local distortions from pair distribution function data is introduced. The implementation of SAPA is demonstrated in the TOPAS-Academic software using the freely available online software ISODISTORT, and scripts for converting the output from ISODISTORT to a SAPA input file for TOPAS are provided. Finally, two examples are provided to show how SAPA can evaluate the nature of both dynamic distortions in ScF3 and the distortions which act as an order parameter for the phase transitions in BaTiO3.

Controlling multiple orderings in metal thiocyanate molecular perovskites A x {Ni[Bi(SCN)6]}.

We report four new A-site vacancy ordered thiocyanate double double perovskites, , A = K+, NH4 +, CH3(NH3)+ (MeNH3 +) and C(NH2)3 + (Gua+), including the first examples of thiocyanate perovskites containing organic A-site cations. We show, using a combination of X-ray and neutron diffraction, that the structure of these frameworks depends on the A-site cation, and that these frameworks possess complex vacancy-ordering patterns and cooperative octahedral tilts distinctly different from atomic perovskites. Density functional theory calculations uncover the energetic origin of these complex orders and allow us to propose a simple rule to predict favoured A-site cation orderings for a given tilt sequence. We use these insights, in combination with symmetry mode analyses, to show that these complex orders suggest a new route to non-centrosymmetric perovskites, and mean this family of materials could contain excellent candidates for piezo- and ferroelectric applications.

In situ X-ray diffraction investigation of electric-field-induced switching in a hybrid improper ferroelectric.

Improper ferroelectric mechanisms are increasingly under investigation for their potential to expand the current catalogue of functional materials whilst promoting couplings between ferroelectricity and other technologically desirable properties such as ferromagnetism. This work presents the results of an in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiment performed on samples of Ca2.15Sr0.85Ti2O7 in an effort to elucidate the mechanism of hybrid improper ferroelectric switching in this compound. By simultaneously applying an electric field and recording diffraction patterns, shifts in the intensity of superstructure peaks consistent with one of the switching mechanisms proposed by Nowadnick & Fennie [Phys. Rev. B, (2016), 94, 104105] are observed. While the experiment only achieves a partial response, comparison with simulated data demonstrates a preference for a one-step switching mechanism involving an unwinding of the octahedral rotation mode in the initial stages of switching. These results represent some of the first reported experimental diffraction-based evidence for a switching mechanism in an improper ferroelectric.

Negative thermal expansion in high pressure layered perovskite Ca2GeO4.

We report the high pressure synthesis of a layered perovskite Ca2GeO4 which is found to have the Ruddlesden-Popper structure with I41/acd symmetry. Consonant with our recent predictions [Ablitt et al., npj Comput. Mater., 2017, 3, 44], the phase displays pronounced uniaxial negative thermal expansion over a large temperature range. Negative thermal expansion that persists over a large temperature range is very unusual in the perovskite structure, and its occurrence in this instance can be understood to arise due to both soft lattice vibrations associated with a phase competition and the unusually compliant nature of this structure, which effectively couples thermal expansion in the layer plane to lattice contractions perpendicular to the layering direction via a "corkscrew" mechanism.

Control of Uniaxial Negative Thermal Expansion in Layered Perovskites by Tuning Layer Thickness.

Uniaxial negative thermal expansion (NTE) is known to occur in low n members of the A n+1B n O3n+1 Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) layered perovskite series with a frozen rotation of BO6 octahedra about the layering axis. Previous work has shown that this NTE arises due to the combined effects of a close proximity to a transition to a competing phase, so called "symmetry trapping", and highly anisotropic elastic compliance specific to the symmetry of the NTE phase. We extend this analysis to the broader RP family (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, …, ∞), demonstrating that by changing the fraction of layer interface in the structure (i.e., the value of 1/n) one may control the anisotropic compliance that is necessary for the pronounced uniaxial NTE observed in these systems. More detailed analysis of how the components of the compliance matrix develop with 1/n allows us to identify different regimes, linking enhancements in compliance between these regimes to the crystallographic degrees of freedom in the structure. We further discuss how the perovskite layer thickness affects the frequencies of soft zone boundary modes with large negative Grüneisen parameters, associated with the aforementioned phase transition, that constitute the thermodynamic driving force for NTE. This new insight complements our previous work-showing that chemical control may be used to switch from positive to negative thermal expansion in these systems-since it makes the layer thickness, n, an additional design parameter that may be used to engineer layered perovskites with tuneable thermal expansion. In these respects, we predict that, with appropriate chemical substitution, the n = 1 phase will be the system in which the most pronounced NTE could be achieved.

A group-theoretical approach to enumerating magnetoelectric and multiferroic couplings in perovskites.

A group-theoretical approach is used to enumerate the possible couplings between magnetism and ferroelectric polarization in the parent Pm{\overline 3}m perovskite structure. It is shown that third-order magnetoelectric coupling terms must always involve magnetic ordering at the A and B sites which either transforms both as R-point or both as X-point time-odd irreducible representations (irreps). For fourth-order couplings it is demonstrated that this criterion may be relaxed allowing couplings involving irreps at X-, M- and R-points which collectively conserve crystal momentum, producing a magnetoelectric effect arising from only B-site magnetic order. In this case, exactly two of the three irreps entering the order parameter must be time-odd irreps and either one or all must be odd with respect to inversion symmetry. It is possible to show that the time-even irreps in this triad must transform as one of: X1+, M3,5- or R5+, corresponding to A-site cation order, A-site antipolar displacements or anion rocksalt ordering, respectively. This greatly reduces the search space for type-II multiferroic perovskites. Similar arguments are used to demonstrate how weak ferromagnetism may be engineered and a variety of schemes are proposed for coupling this to ferroelectric polarization. The approach is illustrated with density functional theory calculations on magnetoelectric couplings and, by considering the literature, suggestions are given of which avenues of research are likely to be most promising in the design of novel magnetoelectric materials.

Recipes for improper ferroelectricity in molecular perovskites.

The central goal of crystal engineering is to control material function via rational design of structure. A particularly successful realisation of this paradigm is hybrid improper ferroelectricity in layered perovskite materials, where layering and cooperative octahedral tilts combine to break inversion symmetry. However, in the parent family of inorganic ABX3 perovskites, symmetry prevents hybrid coupling to polar distortions. Here, we use group-theoretical analysis to uncover a profound enhancement of the number of improper ferroelectric coupling schemes available to molecular perovskites. This enhancement arises because molecular substitution diversifies the range of distortions possible. Not only do our insights rationalise the emergence of polarisation in previously studied materials, but we identify the fundamental importance of molecular degrees of freedom that are straightforwardly controlled from a synthetic viewpoint. We envisage that the crystal design principles we develop here will enable targeted synthesis of a large family of new acentric functional materials.

Symmetry Switching of Negative Thermal Expansion by Chemical Control.

The layered perovskite Ca3-xSrxMn2O7 is shown to exhibit a switching from a material exhibiting uniaxial negative to positive thermal expansion as a function of x. The switching is shown to be related to two closely competing phases with different symmetries. The negative thermal expansion (NTE) effect is maximized when the solid solution is tuned closest to this region of phase space but is switched off suddenly on passing though the transition. Our results show for the first time that, by understanding the symmetry of the competing phases alone, one may achieve unprecedented chemical control of this unusual property.

A half-metallic A- and B-site-ordered quadruple perovskite oxide CaCu3Fe2Re2O12 with large magnetization and a high transition temperature.

Strong correlation between spins and conduction electrons is key in spintronic materials and devices. A few ferro- or ferrimagnetic transition metal oxides such as La1-(x)Sr(x)MnO3, Fe3O4, CrO2 and Sr2FeMoO6 have spin-polarized conduction electrons at room temperature, but it is difficult to find other spin-polarized oxides with high Curie temperatures (well above room temperature) and large magnetizations for spintronics applications. Here we show that an A- and B-site-ordered quadruple perovskite oxide, CaCu3Fe2Re2O12, has spin-polarized conduction electrons and is ferrimagnetic up to 560 K. The couplings between the three magnetic cations lead to the high Curie temperature, a large saturation magnetization of 8.7 µB and a half-metallic electronic structure, in which only minority-spin bands cross the Fermi level, producing highly spin-polarized conduction electrons. Spin polarization is confirmed by an observed low-field magnetoresistance effect in a polycrystalline sample. Optimization of CaCu3Fe2Re2O12 and related quadruple perovskite phases is expected to produce a new family of useful spintronic materials.

Control of L-type ferrimagnetism by the Ce/vacancy ordering in the A-site-ordered perovskite Ce(1/2)Cu3Ti4O12.

A-site-ordered perovskite Ce1/2Cu3Ti4O12 has been found to crystallize in two different forms, one with random and the other with ordered Ce/vacancy distribution at the A site of the prototype AA'3B4O12 structure. The random phase is isostructural with CaCu3Ti4O12, and the ordered phase is a new ordered derivative of the AA'3B4O12-type perovskite with two crystallographically distinct Cu sites. Although both phases form a G-type antiferromagnetic arrangement of Cu(2+) spins below 24 K, their magnetisms are quite different. A typical antiferromagnetic transition is observed in the random phase, whereas a small ferromagnetic moment appears below 24 K in the ordered phase, which rapidly decreases upon further cooling. A mean-field approximation approach revealed that this unusual behavior in the ordered phase is an L-type ferrimagnetism driven by the nonequivalent magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic Cu(2+) spin sublattices in the G-type spin structure. This unusual ferrimagnetism is a direct consequence of the Ce/vacancy ordering.

Nonmagnetic spin-singlet dimer formation and coupling to the lattice in the 6H perovskite Ba3CaRu2O9.

Non-conservation of magnetic neutron scattering from the six-layer hexagonal perovskite Ba3CaRu2O9 on cooling reveals that (Ru(5+))2 dimers form nonmagnetic spin-singlet ground states. This is in contrast to Ba3BRu2O9 (B=Co or Ni) analogues which display long range spin ordered ground states containing antiferromagnetic (Ru(5+))2 dimers (Lightfoot and Battle 1990 J. Solid State Chem. 89 174). Dimer formation is weakly coupled to the lattice, resulting in an excess [101] microstrain broadening of diffraction peaks at low temperatures. Non-conservation of magnetic neutron scattering is also observed around the charge ordering transition in Ba3NaRu2O9 showing that the ground state structure is coupled to spin-singlet formation in charge ordered Ru2O9 dimers.

Charge order at the frontier between the molecular and solid states in Ba3NaRu2O9.

We show that the valence electrons of Ba3NaRu2O9, which has a quasimolecular structure, completely crystallize below 210 K. Using an extended Hubbard model, we show that the charge ordering instability results from long-range Coulomb interactions. However, orbital ordering, metal-metal bonding, and formation of a partial spin gap enforce the magnitude of the charge separation. The striped charge order and frustrated hcp lattice of Ru2O9 dimers lead to competition with a quasidegenerate charge-melted phase under photoexcitation at low temperature. Our results establish a broad class of simple metal oxides as models for emergent phenomena at the border between the molecular and solid states.