Abstract
The van der Waals (vdW) layered multiferroics, which host simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic orders, have attracted attention not only for their potentials to be utilized in nanoelectric devices and spintronics, but also offer alternative opportunities for emergent physical phenomena. To date, the vdW layered multiferroic materials are still very rare. In this work, we have investigated the magnetic structure and magnetoelectric (ME) effects in Co5(TeO3)4Cl2, a promising multiferroic compound with antiferromagnetic (AFM) Néel point 𝑇𝑁∼18 K. The neutron-powder diffraction reveals the noncoplanar AFM state with preferred Néel vector along the 𝑐 axis, while a spin reorientation occurring between 8 and 15 K is identified, which results from the distinct temperature dependence of the nonequivalent Co site's moment in Co5(TeO3)4Cl2. Moreover, it is found that Co5(TeO3)4Cl2 is one of the best vdW multiferroics studied so far in terms of the multiferroic performance. The measured linear ME coefficient exhibits the emergent oscillation dependence of the angle between magnetic field and electric field, and the maximal value is as big as 45 ps/m. It is suggested that Co5(TeO3)4Cl2 is an appreciated platform for exploring the emergent multiferroicity in vdW layered compounds.
