The magnetoelectric effect in transition metal oxides: Insights and the rational design of new materials from first principles

The search for materials displaying a large magnetoelectric effect has occupied researchers for many decades. The rewards could include not only advanced electronics technologies, but also fundamental insights concerning the dielectric and magnetic properties of condensed matter. In this article, we focus on the magnetoelectric effect in transition metal oxides and review the manner in which first-principles calculations have helped guide the search for (and increasingly, predicted) new materials and shed light on the microscopic mechanisms responsible for magnetoelectric phenomena.

► The magnetoelectric effect has tremendous potential applications.
► Transition metal oxides provide a fertile playground for magnetoelectric phenomena.
► First-principles methods to study magnetoelectric phenomena are reviewed.