Atomic-scale visualization of multiferroicity in monolayer NiI$_2$

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Amini, Mohammad, Fumega, Adolfo O., González-Herrero, Héctor, Vaňo, Viliam, Kezilebieke, Shawulienu, Lado, Jose L., Liljeroth, Peter
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Amini, Mohammad
Fumega, Adolfo O.
González-Herrero, Héctor
Vaňo, Viliam
Kezilebieke, Shawulienu
Lado, Jose L.
Liljeroth, Peter
author_facet Amini, Mohammad
Fumega, Adolfo O.
González-Herrero, Héctor
Vaňo, Viliam
Kezilebieke, Shawulienu
Lado, Jose L.
Liljeroth, Peter
contents Progress in layered van der Waals materials has resulted in the discovery of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials down to the monolayer limit. Recently, evidence of the first purely two-dimensional multiferroic material was reported in monolayer NiI$_2$. However, probing multiferroicity with scattering-based and optical bulk techniques is challenging on 2D materials, and experiments on the atomic scale are needed to fully characterize the multiferroic order at the monolayer limit. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) supported by theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to probe and characterize the multiferroic order in monolayer NiI$_2$. We demonstrate that the type-II multiferroic order displayed by NiI$_2$, arising from the combination of a magnetic spin spiral order and a strong spin-orbit coupling, allows probing the multiferroic order in the STM experiments. Moreover, we directly probe the magnetoelectric coupling of NiI$_2$ by external electric field manipulation of the multiferroic domains. Our findings establish a novel point of view to analyse magnetoelectric effects at the microscopic level, paving the way towards engineering new multiferroic orders in van der Waals materials and their heterostructures.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2309_11217
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Atomic-scale visualization of multiferroicity in monolayer NiI$_2$
Amini, Mohammad
Fumega, Adolfo O.
González-Herrero, Héctor
Vaňo, Viliam
Kezilebieke, Shawulienu
Lado, Jose L.
Liljeroth, Peter
Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Progress in layered van der Waals materials has resulted in the discovery of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials down to the monolayer limit. Recently, evidence of the first purely two-dimensional multiferroic material was reported in monolayer NiI$_2$. However, probing multiferroicity with scattering-based and optical bulk techniques is challenging on 2D materials, and experiments on the atomic scale are needed to fully characterize the multiferroic order at the monolayer limit. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) supported by theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to probe and characterize the multiferroic order in monolayer NiI$_2$. We demonstrate that the type-II multiferroic order displayed by NiI$_2$, arising from the combination of a magnetic spin spiral order and a strong spin-orbit coupling, allows probing the multiferroic order in the STM experiments. Moreover, we directly probe the magnetoelectric coupling of NiI$_2$ by external electric field manipulation of the multiferroic domains. Our findings establish a novel point of view to analyse magnetoelectric effects at the microscopic level, paving the way towards engineering new multiferroic orders in van der Waals materials and their heterostructures.
title Atomic-scale visualization of multiferroicity in monolayer NiI$_2$
topic Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.11217