Related papers: Electrostatic topology of ferroelectric domains in…
Improper ferroelectrics are described by two order parameters: a primary one, driving a transition to long-range distortive, magnetic or otherwise non-electric order, and the electric polarization, which is induced by the primary order…
We have studied the structural phase transition of multiferroic YMnO$_3$ from first principles. Using group-theoretical analysis and first-principles density functional calculations of the total energy and phonons, we perform a systematic…
The electric polarization induced by local polar domains of two types (phase separation domains of magnetic nature and structure-distorted domains) has been observed in YCrO3 single crystals. These domains form a superparaelectric state.…
We report an electric-field poling study of the geometric-driven improper ferroelectric h-ErMnO$_3$. From a detailed dielectric analysis we deduce the temperature and frequency dependent range for which single-crystalline h-ErMnO$_3$…
We explore the impact of a magnetic field on the ferroelectric domain pattern in polycrystalline hexagonal ErMnO3 at cryogenic temperatures. Utilizing piezoelectric force microscopy measurements at 1.65 K, we observe modifications of the…
Deterministic polarization reversal in ferroelectric and multiferroic films is critical for their exploitation in nanoelectronic devices. While ferroelectricity has been studied for nearly a century, major discrepancies in the reported…
The research on topological phenomena in ferroelectric materials has revolutionized the way we understand polar order. Intriguing examples are polar skyrmions, vortex/anti-vortex structures and ferroelectric incommensurabilties, which…
We discovered "stripe" patterns of trimerization-ferroelectric domains in hexagonal REMnO3 (RE=Ho, ---, Lu) crystals (grown below ferroelectric transition temperatures (Tc), reaching up to 1435 oC), in contrast with the vortex patterns in…
The switching of electric polarization induced by electric fields -a fundamental functionality of ferroelectrics- is closely associated with the motions of the domain walls that separate regions with distinct polarization directions.…
Hexagonal RMnO3 manganites are improper ferroelectrics in which the electric polarization is a by-product of the tripling of the unit cell. In YMnO3, there is a second transition at ~ 920K whose nature remains unexplained. We argue that…
We identify hexagonal YMnO$_3$ as a material realization of the elusive $\beta$-phase of unconventional magnetism, a noncollinear, noncoplanar antiferromagnetic state defined by intrinsic spin-momentum locking and a topological spin…
Ferroelectric domain nucleation and growth in multiferroic BiFeO3 films is observed directly by applying a local electric field with a conductive tip inside a scanning transmission electron microscope. The nucleation and growth of a…
Using first principles calculations, we study the microscopic origin of ferroelectricity (FE) induced by magnetic order in the orthorhombic HoMnO3. We obtain the largest ferroelectric polarization observed in the whole class of improper…
We present the microscopic theory of improper multiferroicity in BiMnO3, which can be summarized as follows: (1) the ferroelectric polarization is driven by the hidden antiferromagnetic order in the otherwise centrosymmetric C2/c structure;…
Electric polarization in ErCrO3 single crystals has been investigated in the temperature range of 5_370 K. Ferroelectric ordering has not been found in any of the directions. However, electric polarization induced by restricted polar…
Ferroelectric domain walls are quasi-2D systems that show great promise for the development of non-volatile memory, memristor technology and electronic components with ultra-small feature size. Electric fields, for example, can change the…
Ferroelectric switching in BiFeO$_3$ multiferroic thin films with intrinsic ``stripe-like'' and ``bubble-like'' polydomain configurations was studied by piezoresponse force microscopy. Using the local electric field applied by a scanning…
Structural features of ferroic domains are fundamentally important for the understanding of microstructure and physical properties of ferroic materials, and they are also of technological significance for information storage and electronic…
Charged polar interfaces such as charged ferroelectric domain walls or heterostructured interfaces of ZnO/(Zn,Mg)O and LaAlO3/SrTiO3, across which the normal component of electric polarization changes suddenly, can host large…
We study theoretically the influence of the underlying domain microstructure on the electromechanical properties of ferroelectrics. Our calculations are based on a continuum approach that incorporates the long-range elastic and…