Pressure-induced large enhancement of Néel temperature and electric polarization in the hexagonal multiferroic Lu0.5Sc0.5FeO3

Hexagonal ferrites (h−RFeO3) have attracted great attention for their high ferroelectric transition temperature, strong magnetoelectric couplings, and tunable Néel temperature (TN) and electric polarization. While introducing structural distortion has been previously found to be effective to raise TN and polarization in h−RFeO3, it is generally difficult to create sizable structural distortion by common approaches including substrate-induced epitaxial strain and chemical doping. Here, we use high-pressure x-ray-diffraction measurements to show that pressure can generate large structural distortion and R-layer displacement of h−RFeO3, resulting with dramatically enhancement of polarization and TN. Density-functional theory calculations reveal that the enlarged c/a ratio results in an ∼70 K increase of TN along with a significant enhancement of ferroelectric polarization. Our results suggest that pressure is effective to tune structural distortions and related multiferroicity of the h−RFeO3 system, making h−RFeO3 a promising material for spintronic applications.