Coupled magnetic and ferroelectric states in the distorted honeycomb system Fe${}_4$Ta${}_2$O${}_9$

Abstract

We report on the magnetic, thermodynamic, dielectric, and pyroelectric measurements on the hitherto unreported Fe${}_4$Ta${}_2$O${}_9$. This system is seen to exhibit a series of magnetic transitions, many of which are coupled to the emergence of ferroelectric order, making Fe${}_4$Ta${}_2$O${}_9$ the only genuine multiferroic in its material class. We suggest that the observed properties arise as a consequence of an effective reduction in the dimensionality of the magnetic lattice, with the magnetically active Fe${}^{2+}$ ions preferentially occupying a quasi 2D buckled honeycomb structure. The low temperature $H$-$T$ phase diagram of Fe${}_4$Ta${}_2$O${}_9$ reveals a rich variety of coupled magnetic and ferroelectric phases, in similarity with that observed in the distorted Kagome systems.