Ferroelectricity in the 1 μC cm-2 range induced by canted antiferromagnetism in (LaMn3)Mn4O12

Pyroelectric current and field-dependent specific heat measurements on polycrystalline samples of the quadruple perovskite (LaMn3)Mn4O12 give evidence of ferroelectricity driven by the canted antiferromagnetic ordering of the Beta-site Mn3+ ions at TN;B=78 K with record large remnant electric polarization up to P=0.56 uC cm-2. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate an anomalous behavior of the monoclinic B angle at T N;B, which suggests that P lies in the ac-plane, where the moments are collinear, so we believe that exchange striction is the mechanism of spin-driven ferroelectricity. Polarization values up to fino a 3-6 UC cm-2 are expected in single crystals or epitaxial films, which would enable the development of practical multiferroic applications.