Nanoengineering room temperature ferroelectricity into orthorhombic SmMnO films.

Orthorhombic RMnO (R = rare-earth cation) compounds are type-II multiferroics induced by inversion-symmetry-breaking of spin order. They hold promise for magneto-electric devices. However, no spontaneous room-temperature ferroic property has been observed to date in orthorhombic RMnO.