Origin of Above-room-temperature Ferroelectricity in Croconic Acid: The need for Inelastic Neutron Scattering
In a groundbreaking study in 2010, Horiuchi et al have reported above-room-temperature ferroelectriciy in croconic acid, a strikingly simple-looking molecule. In spite of these recent and exciting developments, the microscopic origin of its ferroelectric behaviour remains a mystery. To fill this gap, we have performed X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments as a function of temperature on croconic acid single crystals. Our results show that thermal diffuse scattering as a function of temperature correlates almost perfectly with the increase in unit-cell polarisation. These results are highly suggestive of a hitherto unexplored type of dynamically induced ferroelectricity governing the emergence of a net (and strong) unit-cell electric dipole moment above room temperature. While insightful, these structural studies do not provide direct information on the specific physical origin of the motions responsible for diffuse scattering and ferroelectric behaviour. Inelastic neutron scattering is the method of choice to provide these key data, and the use of LAGRANGE is mandatory given present limitations to synthesize high-purity specimens.
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FELIX FERNANDEZ-ALONSO; GUTMANN Matthias; JIMENEZ RUIZ Monica; JURA Marek; KRZYSTYNIAK Matthew; MUKHOPADHYAY Sanghamitra and REFSON Keith. (2012). Origin of Above-room-temperature Ferroelectricity in Croconic Acid: The need for Inelastic Neutron Scattering. Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) doi:10.5291/ILL-DATA.7-04-111
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