Antiferroelectricity in pyroxene-like oxides

Antiferroelectrics in disguise!

Antiferroelectrics can be very useful for energy storage, but we know relatively few materials of this type. We studied many oxides looking for antiferroelectric candidates, and we found at least three based on vanadium. Surprisingly, these are simple ternary oxides known since the 1950s. The origin of antiferroelectricity in these vanadates is linked to their crystal structure, which is essentially equivalent to that of one of the most abundant mineral families on Earth: pyroxenes. Are there many antiferroelectrics out there flying under the radar?