Multiferroic Phase Transition between Four Types of Collinear Compensated Magnets

Multiferroic Phase Transition between Four Types of Collinear Compensated Magnets | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Multiferroic Phase Transition between Four Types of Collinear Compensated Magnets Wan Zhao, Xiaodong Zhou, Zhenzhou Guo, Tao Zhu, Jie Chen, Hang Li, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8207555/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Collinear compensated magnets—encompassing ferrimagnets, antiferromagnets, altermagnets, and the recently identified type-IV class—host zero net magnetization while enabling diverse spin-polarization patterns and unconventional transport responses beyond ferromagnetic systems. However, realizing electric-field control across four compensated magnetic states has remained a fundamental challenge. Here, we reveal that an experimentally established layered hybrid-improper multiferroic, K3Mn2Cl7, realizes such long-sought functionality in the monolayer limit. We show that its magnetic ground state is an intrinsic insulating type-IV magnet with in-plane ferroelectric polarization, and that electric fields can drive reversible multiferroic phase transitions among four types of compensated magnets. Distinct from previously studied ferrimagnetic or altermagnetic multiferroics, the compensated type-IV states retain spin degeneracy in the nonrelativistic limit but acquire symmetry-governed full-space persistent spin texture, topological and transport responses. Interestingly, both ferroelectric and antiferroelectric type-IV magnetic domains exhibit sign-reversible anomalous Hall transport without exchange splitting reversal found in conventional compensated magnets, revealing a previously unexplored form of magnetoelectric coupling in van der Waals multiferroics. Our work establishes K3Mn2Cl7 as a rare platform where ferroicity, various compensated magnetism, and Berry-phase transport are intrinsically intertwined, opening a route to electrically programmable spintronic architectures. Multiferroic ferrimagnets antiferromagnets altermagnets and type-IV magnets Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8207555","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":550854409,"identity":"d674c2c2-e456-45ee-bc63-d9563067a38e","order_by":0,"name":"Wan Zhao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tiangong University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Wan","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhao","suffix":""},{"id":550854616,"identity":"e1925b45-6a24-430f-a8d3-547ed968d69f","order_by":1,"name":"Xiaodong 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However, realizing electric-field control across four compensated magnetic states has remained a fundamental challenge. Here, we reveal that an experimentally established layered hybrid-improper multiferroic, K3Mn2Cl7, realizes such long-sought functionality in the monolayer limit. We show that its magnetic ground state is an intrinsic insulating type-IV magnet with in-plane ferroelectric polarization, and that electric fields can drive reversible multiferroic phase transitions among four types of compensated magnets. Distinct from previously studied ferrimagnetic or altermagnetic multiferroics, the compensated type-IV states retain spin degeneracy in the nonrelativistic limit but acquire symmetry-governed full-space persistent spin texture, topological and transport responses. Interestingly, both ferroelectric and antiferroelectric type-IV magnetic domains exhibit sign-reversible anomalous Hall transport without exchange splitting reversal found in conventional compensated magnets, revealing a previously unexplored form of magnetoelectric coupling in van der Waals multiferroics. 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