Magnetoelectric Radical Hydrocarbons

Ferroelectricity together with magnetic spin exchange coupling is achieved in molecular radical hydrocarbon solids. The ability to simultaneously control and retrieve the changes in magnetic and electrical responses opens up a new breadth of applications, such as radical magnetoelectrics, magnets, and optoelectronics.

Abstract

The molecular radicals, systems with unpaired electrons of open‐shell electronic structures, set the stage for a multidisciplinary science frontier relevant to the cooperative magnetic exchange interaction and magnetoelectric effect. Here ferroelectricity together with magnetic spin exchange coupling in molecular radical hydrocarbon solids is reported, representing a new class of magnetoelectrics. Electronic correlation through radical–radical interactions plays a decisive role in the coupling between magnetic and charge orders. A substantial photoconductance and visible‐light photovoltaic effect are found in radical hydrocarbons. The ability to simultaneously control and retrieve the changes in magnetic and electrical responses opens up a new breadth of applications, such as radical magnetoelectrics, magnets, and optoelectronics.

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