Intrinsic magnetoelectric effects through PT symmetry breaking

Magnetoelectric multiferroic materials, which simultaneously host ferroelectric and magnetic orders, continue to attract tremendous research interest due to their intriguing fundamental physics and potential for scalable, energy-efficient devices exploiting the magnetoelectric (ME) coupling between magnetic moments and electric dipoles. Achieving practical ME coupling requires breaking of both spatial inversion (P) and time-reversal (T) symmetries at the macroscopic level, rather than merely at the level of fundamental interactions, thereby allowing external control and engineering. In this review, we briefly introduce the background and classification of multiferroics and summarize recent advances in magnetoelectric multiferroic systems, with particular emphasis on PT symmetries, coupling mechanisms, and ordered patterns. These developments provide valuable insights and promising opportunities for discovering and designing materials with strong magnetoelectric coupling.