Progress in structural, optical, dielectric and magnetic properties investigations of ferroics and multiferroics

Ferroic and multiferroic materials undergo a large variety of phase transitions and also exhibit important physical properties, many of which are practically used worldwide. Examples are piezoelectric, pyroelectric, electrocaloric, and energy storage properties. These materials studies, theoretical and experimental, lead to an understanding of the origin of these properties and thus help to modify and control them, including suggestions for new materials. The functionality of ferroics and multiferroics is worth considering independently of their chemical formulas and structural properties. Investigations of the structural disorder, domains and domain boundaries are challenging for experimentalists and theorists. Progress in computational and experimental techniques allows us to go deeper into searching for ferroics and multiferroics in the form of macroscopic single crystals, ceramics, and nano-sized thin films. Additionally, the role of point and extended defects, and hence the surface-bulk interrelation, still makes these materials scientifically exciting and prospective for applications in electronics, scientific instrument construction, medicine and sport.

Scope:

Ferroics exhibit big changes in their properties at a phase transition between a highsymmetry phase, where the material is in a non-ferroic state, and a low-symmetry phase, where the shape of the unit cell is slightly altered. This symmetry breaking leads to the appearance of a new physical quantity that can be switched somehow. For instance, the oldest known ferroic property is ferromagnetism, where magnetisation can be switched by an applied magnetic field, leading to magnetic hysteresis. By analogy with ferromagnetism, ferroelectrics are where an electric polarisation is switched by an applied electric field, again with hysteresis, and ferroelastics are where applied stress switches strain. These ferroics are known as primary ferroics. One can also have multiferroics where two or more such ferroic properties are present, e.g. an applied electric field can switch magnetisation and vice versa. It can be appreciated, therefore, that ferroics provide a rich area of materials with interesting properties and behaviour, many of which have very important industrial uses.
Group-subgroup symmetry changes at phase transitions often define the properties of ferroics. However, changes in micro- and nano-structures are at least as important. It is possible to tune both by changing the form of the material: single crystal, ceramic or thin film. This has led to major breakthroughs, such as discovering unexpected phases and properties at interfaces, giant responses, and phase transitions induced by light or electric fields. The recent interest in topological structures in ferroics, e.g. domain walls, vortexes, and skyrmions, which exhibit their functionalities and properties, brings a new playground, making ferroic materials even more scientifically exciting. The symposium will bring together experts who have made and are still making progress in theoretical and experimental techniques trying to steer the properties in a controlled way. 

Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:

• Structural phase transitions and critical phenomena
• Local structure and disorder
• Magnetoelectric and multiferroic materials
• Topological structures, domain boundary engineering
• Interfacial properties
• Thin films and heterostructures
• First-principles simulations
• Second-principles and multiscale simulations
• Caloric effects
• Ferroelasticity
• Flexoelectricity
• Ferroelectrics and antiferroelectrics
• Relaxors
• Piezotronics and photo-piezotronics
• Light-induced phenomena
• Defects in ferroics na multiferroics
• Electronic structure and optical properties
• Piezoelectrics and lead-free piezoelectrics
• Photovoltaic perovskites

List of invited speakers (confirmed):

• M. Alexe – Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Great Britain
• Ch. Peng – School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Arkansas, USA
• B. Dkhil – CentraleSupélec, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, France
• A. Bussmann-Holder – Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany
• N. Bristowe – Department of Physics, University of Durham, United Kingdom
• G. Catalan – Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology - ICN2, Barcelona, Spain
• O. Condurache – CentraleSupélec, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, France
• O. Dieguez – Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Israel
• A. Gągor – Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• P. Gehring – NIST Centre for Neutron Research, USA
• F. Gomez-Ortiz – Department of Earth Sciences & Condensed Matter Physics, Universidad de Cantabria, Spain
• M. Gregg – School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland
• M. Guennou – Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg
• M. Hadjimichael – Department of Physics, University of Warwick, United Kingdom
• J. Hlinka – Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
• J. Iniguez – Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg
• S. Kamba – Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
• M. Maglione – Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux, Pessac, Aquitaine, France
• A. Piecha-Bisiorek – Department of Chemistry, University of Wrocław, Poland
• W. Schranz – Faculty of Physics, University of Wien, Austria
• N. Zhang – Faculty of Electronic and Information Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
• P. Zubko – Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, United Kingdom
• H. Yokota – Department of Physics, Chiba University, Japan