Universality of Type-II Multiferroicity in Monolayer Nickel Dihalides

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Cahlík, Aleš, Karjasilta, Antti, Mishra, Anshika, Drost, Robert, Amini, Mohammad, Arshad, Javaria, Arslan, Büşra, Liljeroth, Peter
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Cahlík, Aleš
Karjasilta, Antti
Mishra, Anshika
Drost, Robert
Amini, Mohammad
Arshad, Javaria
Arslan, Büşra
Liljeroth, Peter
author_facet Cahlík, Aleš
Karjasilta, Antti
Mishra, Anshika
Drost, Robert
Amini, Mohammad
Arshad, Javaria
Arslan, Büşra
Liljeroth, Peter
contents The recent discovery of type-II multiferroicity in monolayer NiI${_2}$ indicated a new pathway for intrinsic magnetoelectric coupling in the two-dimensional limit. However, determining whether this phenomenon is a unique anomaly or a general, chemically tunable property of the material class remains unresolved. Here, we demonstrate the universality of type-II multiferroicity in the transition metal dihalides by visualizing the ferroelectric order in monolayer NiBr${_2}$. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we resolve atomic-scale ferroelectric domains and confirm their magnetoelectric origin through reciprocal manipulation experiments: reorienting magnetic order via electric fields and suppressing the electric polarization with external magnetic fields. Furthermore, we find that the multiferroic state in NiBr${_2}$ is energetically less robust than in its iodide counterpart, consistent with modified superexchange interactions and the reduced spin-orbit coupling. Our results establish the transition metal dihalides as a versatile platform where the stability of magnetoelectric phases can be engineered through chemical substitution.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_20713
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Universality of Type-II Multiferroicity in Monolayer Nickel Dihalides
Cahlík, Aleš
Karjasilta, Antti
Mishra, Anshika
Drost, Robert
Amini, Mohammad
Arshad, Javaria
Arslan, Büşra
Liljeroth, Peter
Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
The recent discovery of type-II multiferroicity in monolayer NiI${_2}$ indicated a new pathway for intrinsic magnetoelectric coupling in the two-dimensional limit. However, determining whether this phenomenon is a unique anomaly or a general, chemically tunable property of the material class remains unresolved. Here, we demonstrate the universality of type-II multiferroicity in the transition metal dihalides by visualizing the ferroelectric order in monolayer NiBr${_2}$. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we resolve atomic-scale ferroelectric domains and confirm their magnetoelectric origin through reciprocal manipulation experiments: reorienting magnetic order via electric fields and suppressing the electric polarization with external magnetic fields. Furthermore, we find that the multiferroic state in NiBr${_2}$ is energetically less robust than in its iodide counterpart, consistent with modified superexchange interactions and the reduced spin-orbit coupling. Our results establish the transition metal dihalides as a versatile platform where the stability of magnetoelectric phases can be engineered through chemical substitution.
title Universality of Type-II Multiferroicity in Monolayer Nickel Dihalides
topic Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.20713