University of Warwick researchers have created a new material combining two properties, magnetism and electrical polarisation, that scientists have struggled to bring together for decades - and crucially, it works at close to room temperature.
Materials with both magnetism and electrical polarisation, known as magnetoelectrics, are highly prized because they allow magnetic information to be switched using an electric field rather than a magnetic one. That could make future computer memory far more energy-efficient, an increasingly urgent problem as data centres and AI systems place growing demands on the power grid. The problem is that most magnetoelectric materials only work at extremely cold temperatures, ruling them out for everyday use.
The new material, reported in the journal JACS , is a form of strontium manganite and gets around this by using a simple structural trick: pairs of atoms inside its crystal structure tilt together in a coordinated way. This tiny shift is enough to generate an electrical charge across the material while also giving it a weak, switchable magnetism.
Crucially, the charge does not depend on the magnetism, unlike in most magnetoelectrics, where the two are locked together and only survive at extremely cold temperatures. Because the structural shift and the magnetism here are independently stable, both persist at far higher, and far more practical, temperatures.
"Finding a material that combines magnetism and electrical polarisation is hard enough on its own, but finding one that does this close to room temperature has been a real sticking point for the field," said Dr Struan Simpson, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick. "What's exciting here is that the mechanism behind it is remarkably simple, a small, coordinated tilt within the crystal structure is all it takes. That simplicity is what makes us confident this approach can be applied much more widely."
Using high-resolution X-ray and neutron scattering, alongside detailed computer modelling, the team confirmed that this effect holds up to close to room temperature, far higher than in most materials of this kind. They also showed the effect could be strengthened by tweaking the material's chemistry, offering an uncomplicated way to fine-tune its performance.
"This isn't just about one material," added Professor Mark Senn, Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick. "It gives us a blueprint for looking at a whole class of structures that were previously overlooked for this kind of application. The next step is exploring how far we can push these ideas, and how close we can get to a material that's genuinely ready for use in real devices."
The team believes the same design trick could be applied to a much wider range of materials, opening the door to new energy-efficient technologies beyond the one studied here.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The paper ‘Near-Room-Temperature Magnetoelectric Coupling Engineered through Inversion-Breaking Tilts in a Bulk Perovskite Polytype’ is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c11283
The diffraction measurements were carried out using two UK national facilities, the Diamond Light Source and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, alongside the ESRF synchrotron in France.
For more information please contact:
Matt Higgs, PhD | Media & Communications Manager (Warwick Press Office)
Email: Matt.Higgs@warwick.ac.uk | Phone: +44(0)7880 175403
About the University of Warwick
Founded in 1965, the University of Warwick is a world-leading institution known for its commitment to era-defining innovation across research and education. A connected ecosystem of staff, students and alumni, the University fosters transformative learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and bold industry partnerships across state-of-the-art facilities in the UK and global satellite hubs. Here, spirited thinkers push boundaries, experiment, and challenge convention to create a better world.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Experimental study
Not applicable
Near-Room-Temperature Magnetoelectric Coupling Engineered through Inversion-Breaking Tilts in a Bulk Perovskite Polytype
27-Aug-2026