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Single Crystal Growth, Characterization, and Properties of Multifunctional Materials LiMP2O7 (M = Fe, Cr)

Weiguo Zhang 1Elise Pachoud 2Kao-Chen Liang 3Bernd Lorenz 3Shiv Halasyamani 1Paul Chu 3,4

1. Aalto University, Espoo FI-00076, Finland
2. University of Houston, Chemistry Dept., Houston, TX 77204, United States
3. University of Houston, Texas Center for Superconductivity and Advanced Materials, Houston, TX 77204, United States
4. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States

Abstract

Multifuctional materials, especially multiferroics, have attracted much attention attributable to their coexistence and mutual interaction of magnetic and electric orders. However, ferroelectricity and magnetic ordering are often mutually exclusive, which leads to the rarity of materials exhibiting both properties. On the other hand, large single crystals of advanced functional materials are necessary for detailed physical property measurements. This is particularly true with low symmetric systems, such as polar oxides. LiFeP2O7 and LiCrP2O7, both crystallize in polar structures with the monoclinic space group P21 (No. 4). Meanwhile, Fe3+ and Cr3+ are magnetic ions. The coexistence of the magnetic order with the electrical polarization makes LiFeP2O7 and LiCrP2O7 interesting candidates for studying the magnetoelectric coupling in electrically polarized materials. Using a flux growth method, we have grown centimeter size crystals of new polar materials - LiFeP2O7 (Figure 1), and LiCrP2O7. SHG, piezoelectricity, and polarization were measured. In addition, the magnetic, thermodynamic, and pyroelectric properties of oriented single crystals are investigated. Crystal growth details and functional property measurements will be described.

 

Figure 1. LiFeP2O7 single crystal

 

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Related papers

Presentation: Poster at 15th Summer School on Crystal Growth - ISSCG-15, by Weiguo Zhang
See On-line Journal of 15th Summer School on Crystal Growth - ISSCG-15

Submitted: 2013-03-18 20:10
Revised:   2013-03-18 20:14