Cation Exchange of Ruddlesden-Popper Phases as a Route to Magnetoelectric Multiferroics - Magnetic Structure

Magnetoelectric multiferroics - phases which exhibit simultaneous ferroelectric and ferromagnetic behavior - are rare as these two properties are contraindicated. We have been following a strategy of using cation exchange reactions to introduce magnetic cations into existing ferroelectric materials and have recently been successful in preparing a new material which simultaneously exhibits both an electrical and a magnetic polarization. Furthermore, the magnetic structure of the material shows the signature of strong magnetoelectric coupling.Building on this we have now prepared a series of related phases and wish to collected neutron diffraction data to determine both the crystal structures (to establish if they have polar, potentially ferroelectric structures) and the magnetic structures (to investigate any magnetoelectric coupling present) of the materials.