Multiferroic behavior in organo-metallics

The study of multiferroic (MF) and magnetoelectric (ME) materials seeks to understand and harness the coupling between electric and magnetic polarizations. To date, research into ME and MF bulk materials has largely focused on inorganic oxides and only a relatively small number of materials have been found with significant ME couplings. We explore organo-metallics where transition metal ions are incorporated into a flexible and designable organic lattice. We present recent results on ME and MF behavior in single crystals of the organo-metallic compounds NiCl2-4SC(NH2)2 and CuCl2-2(CH3)2SO.