Coexistence of Ferroelectricity and Ferromagnetism in Fullerene-Based One-Dimensional Chains.

Abstract

One-dimensional (1D) magnetoelectric multiferroics are promising multifunctional materials for miniaturized sensors, actuators, and memories. However, 1D materials with both ferroelectricity and ferromagnetismare quite rare. Herein, using first-principles calculations, a series of fullerene-based 1D chains, namely U2 C@C80 -M (M=Cr, Mn, Mo, and Ru) 1D chains with both ferroelectric (FE) and ferromagnetic (FM)properties is designed. Compared to individual U2 C@Ih (7)-C80 , the spontaneous polarization (Ps) in 1D chains is enhanced by about two to four times owing to the interaction between U2 C@Ih (7)-C80 fullerene and M (M=Cr, Mn, Mo, and Ru) atoms. Meanwhile, the introduction of transition metal atoms dopes electrons into U's 5f orbitals, leading to numerous intriguing magnetic properties, such as U2 C@C80 -Cr and U2 C@C80 -Mo as 1D ferromagneticsemiconductors, U2 C@C80 -Ru as 1D ferrimagnetic (FiM) semiconductor, and U2 C@C80 -Mn as 1D antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconductor. Excitingly, it is found that magnetic ordering and electrical polarization can be modulated independently by linking different transition metal atoms. These findings not only broaden the range of 1D multiferroic materials, but also provide promising candidates for novel electronic and spintronic applications.