Robert Blinc
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199570942
- eISBN:
- 9780191728631
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199570942.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Condensed Matter Physics / Materials
The field of ferroelectricity has greatly expanded and changed recently. In addition to classical organic and inorganic ferroelectrics as well as composite ferroelectrics new fields and materials ...
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The field of ferroelectricity has greatly expanded and changed recently. In addition to classical organic and inorganic ferroelectrics as well as composite ferroelectrics new fields and materials have appeared, important for both basic science and application and showing technological promise for novel multifunctional devices. Most of these fields were unknown or inactive 20 to 40 years ago. Such new fields are multiferroic magnetoelectric systems, where the spontaneous polarization and the spontaneous magnetization are allowed to coexist, incommensurate ferroelectrics, where the periodicity of the order parameter is incommensurate to the periodicity of the underlying basic crystal lattice, ferroelectric liquid crystals, dipolar glasses, relaxor ferroelectrics, ferroelectric thin films and nanoferroelectrics. These new fields are in addition to basic physical interest also of great technological importance and allow for new memory devices, spintronic applications and electro‐optic devices. They are also important for applications in acoustics, robotics, telecommunications and medicine. New developments in relaxors allow for giant electromechanical and electrocaloric effects. The book is primarily intended for material scientists working in research or industry. It is also intended for graduate and doctoral students and can be used as a textbook in graduate courses. Finally, it should be useful for everybody following the development of modern solid‐state physics.Less
The field of ferroelectricity has greatly expanded and changed recently. In addition to classical organic and inorganic ferroelectrics as well as composite ferroelectrics new fields and materials have appeared, important for both basic science and application and showing technological promise for novel multifunctional devices. Most of these fields were unknown or inactive 20 to 40 years ago. Such new fields are multiferroic magnetoelectric systems, where the spontaneous polarization and the spontaneous magnetization are allowed to coexist, incommensurate ferroelectrics, where the periodicity of the order parameter is incommensurate to the periodicity of the underlying basic crystal lattice, ferroelectric liquid crystals, dipolar glasses, relaxor ferroelectrics, ferroelectric thin films and nanoferroelectrics. These new fields are in addition to basic physical interest also of great technological importance and allow for new memory devices, spintronic applications and electro‐optic devices. They are also important for applications in acoustics, robotics, telecommunications and medicine. New developments in relaxors allow for giant electromechanical and electrocaloric effects. The book is primarily intended for material scientists working in research or industry. It is also intended for graduate and doctoral students and can be used as a textbook in graduate courses. Finally, it should be useful for everybody following the development of modern solid‐state physics.
Gustau Catalan and James F. Scott
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199584123
- eISBN:
- 9780191745331
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199584123.003.0002
- Subject:
- Physics, Condensed Matter Physics / Materials
Magnetoelectric materials are those where the magnetism can be affected by an external electric field, or, conversely, those where electric polarization is affected by a magnetic field. Many ...
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Magnetoelectric materials are those where the magnetism can be affected by an external electric field, or, conversely, those where electric polarization is affected by a magnetic field. Many magnetoelectric materials are multiferroic, meaning that they simultaneously possess spontaneous ferroelectric and magnetic ordering, but this is not an essential requirement. Magnetoelectrics and multiferroics have become an important area of research on account of their interesting fundamental science and potentially useful applications in memory devices and magnetovoltaic transducers. This chapter reviews the types of magnetoelectric coupling that exist, the magnitude of the effect and its limits, the types of materials that have it, and how is it measured. Throughout, the chapter emphasizes points that are usually overlooked in the literature, such as non-oxide materials, fundamental differences between linear and quadratic coupling, or experimental artifacts in measurements.Less
Magnetoelectric materials are those where the magnetism can be affected by an external electric field, or, conversely, those where electric polarization is affected by a magnetic field. Many magnetoelectric materials are multiferroic, meaning that they simultaneously possess spontaneous ferroelectric and magnetic ordering, but this is not an essential requirement. Magnetoelectrics and multiferroics have become an important area of research on account of their interesting fundamental science and potentially useful applications in memory devices and magnetovoltaic transducers. This chapter reviews the types of magnetoelectric coupling that exist, the magnitude of the effect and its limits, the types of materials that have it, and how is it measured. Throughout, the chapter emphasizes points that are usually overlooked in the literature, such as non-oxide materials, fundamental differences between linear and quadratic coupling, or experimental artifacts in measurements.
