The development of next-generation electronic devices currently focuses on advances in multifunctional materials research. Emphasis is placed on designing meta-nanostructures that could respond to external stimuli with specific signals, depending on cross-coupling between different functional properties, e.g. piezo-electric, magneto-electric, electro-optic, etc. Currently, the quest for stable single-phase multifunctional materials that can respond to multiple electric, magnetic, elastic and thermal external stimuli is motivated by radically new properties that are expected from intrinsic strong cross-coupling effects. This might explain the tremendous research activities devoted in the past to natural, single-phase multiferroic that exhibit, though very weak, intrinsic cross-coupling between the ferroelectric and magnetic state properties.