Exceptional structural phase transition near room temperature in an organic-inorganic hybrid ferroelectric

Chem Commun (Camb). 2023 Nov 14;59(91):13651-13654. doi: 10.1039/d3cc04186g.

Abstract

An organic-inorganic hybrid ferroelectric, (C6H5CH2CH2NH3)2[HgI4], undergoes an exceptional structural phase transition near room temperature, triggered by a flip of half the organic cations and an order-disorder transition of the inorganic anions, and may be regarded as a displacive-type ferroelectric. This finding provides a new structural phase transition mechanism in molecule-based ferroelectrics.