Abstract:
Multiferroics are materials in which more than one ferroic order is present
simultaneously1,2. Ferroic properties are those properties which spontaneously order
with an applied field and are switchable. These ferroic properties can be
ferromagnetic if the material order magnetically under an applied magnetic field, it
can be ferroelectric if it orders electrically under an applied electric field it can also
be ferroelastic if stress can induce a reversible deformation in these materials. When
any of these or their corresponding antiferroic properties co-exist in a material, they
are termed multiferroic 1. These materials are quite important from the technological
point of view as they serves quite promising for use in memory devices, recording
etc. and also equip us with an extra degree of freedom to tune the properties.
