Displacive-type ferroelectricity from magnetic correlations within   spin-chain
  Observation of ferroelectricity among non-d0 systems, which was believed for a long time an unrealistic concept, led to various proposals for the mechanisms to explain the same (i.e. magnetically induced ferroelectricity) during last decade. Here, we provide support for ferroelectricity of a displacive-type possibly involving magnetic ions due to short-range magnetic correlations within a spin-chain, through the demonstration of magnetoelectric coupling in a Haldane spin-chain compound Er2BaNiO5 well above its N\'eel temperature of (TN=) 32K. There is a distinct evidence for electric polarization setting in near 60 K around which there is an evidence for short-range magnetic correlations from other experimental methods. Raman studies also establish a softening of phonon modes in the same temperature (T) range and T-dependent x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns also reveal lattice parameters anomalies. Density-functional theory based calculations establish a displacive component (similar to d0-ness) as the root-cause of ferroelectricity from (magnetic) NiO6 chain, thereby offering a new route to search for similar materials near room temperature to enable applications. 
Tathamay Basu, V. V. Ravi Kishore, Smita Gohil, Kiran Singh, N.   Mohapotra, S. Bhattacharjee, Babu Gonde, N. P. Lalla, Priy...
cond-mat.str-el