"Fraternal-twin" ferroelectricity: competing polar states in hydrogen-doped samarium nickelate from first principles

Abstract

Reversible intercalation of hydrogen into samarium nickelate, SmNiO${}_3$ (SNO), has been of recent interest. Upon entering SNO, the hydrogen dissociates: the H${}^{+}$ binds to an oxygen and the valence electron localizes on a nearby NiO${}_6$ octahedron, resulting in a local dipole moment. In this work, we use first-principles calculations to explore the polar states of hydrogen-doped SNO at a concentration of 1/4 hydrogen per Ni. The inherent tilt pattern of SNO and the presence of the interstitial hydrogen present an insurmountable energy barrier to switch these polar states to their symmetry-related states under inversion. We find a sufficiently low barrier to move the localized electron to a neighboring NiO${}_6$ octahedron, a state unrelated by symmetry but equal in energy under epitaxial strain, resulting in a large change in polarization. We term this unconventional ferroelectric a "fraternal-twin" ferroelectric.

arXiv comment9 pages, 10 figures

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