Study of a new quantum atomic effect and development of new multiferroic materials

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26289092
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Electronic materials/Electric materials
• Research Institution: Saga University
• Principal Investigator: Zheng Xu-Guang 佐賀大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (40236063)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 真木 一 佐賀大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (10359945) ; 山内 一宏 佐賀大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 特任助教 (60444395)
• Research Collaborator: MENG Dong-Dong ; XU Xing-Liang ; YAMAGUCHI Satoshi ; OFUJI Ayumi ; OKA Yuki ; NAKANIWA Shou ; YANASE Takuya ; NUMANO Takeshi ; YUASA Takahiro
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 水素原子量子効果 / 強誘電性 / 水酸塩化物 / マルチフェロ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Hydroxyl salts M2(OH)3X, where M represents a d-electron magnetic ion such as Cu, Co, Ni, Mn, or Fe and X represents the halogen ions Cl, Br, or I have been known for a long time. In recent years, these hydroxyl salts have attracted attention because our finding of their geometrically frustrated magnetism. Our latest finding was the ferroelectric-like responses in the deuterated hydroxyl salts with the highest crystal symmetry, i.e., rhombohedral Co2(OD)3Cl and Co2(OD)3Br, at temperatures of 220-230 K through an isotope effect, showing phenomenological similarity to proton type ferroelectricity.This research involved an extensive study of hydroxyl salts utilizing muon-spin-relaxation (muSR), NMR, Raman spectroscopy and neutron diffraction, supplemented by dielectric constant, magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity measurements, and has revealed a unique multiferroic system with deuterium-order-type ferroelectricity correlated to the geometrically frustrated magnetism.

Free Research Field

物性物理学、材料工学