Related papers: Evolution of domain structure with electron doping…
Finite size effects in ferroelectric thin films have been probed in a series of epitaxial perovskite c-axis oriented PbTiO3 films grown on thin La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 epitaxial electrodes. The film thickness ranges from 480 down to 28 A (7 unit…
The balance between interfacial chemistry, electrostatics, and epitaxial strain plays a crucial role in stabilizing polarization in ferroelectric thin films. Here, we bring these contributions into competition in BiFeO$_3$ (BFO) thin films…
Evolution of a stripe array of polarization domains triggered by the oxygen vacancy migration in an acceptor doped ferroelectric is investigated in a self-consistent manner. A comprehensive model based on the Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire…
The structural and ferroelectric domain variants of highly-strained BiFeO3 films grown on vicinal LaSrAlO4 substrates were studied by piezoelectric force microscopy and high-resolution X-ray reciprocal space mapping. Through symmetry…
We study ferroelectricity in thin films of pseudo-proper ferroelectrics such as the so-called spiral multiferroics. We find that this type of ferroelectricity stands better against depolarizing fields than conventional one. Its…
The existence of ferroelectricity in {$\mathrm{BiMnO}_3$} has been a long-standing question for both experimentalists and theorists. In addition to a highly distorted bulk structure, the ionic crystal planes cause a large roughness in thin…
We studied the phase diagram of thin ferroelectric films with incommensurate phases and semiconductor properties within the framework of Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory. We performed both analytical calculations and phase-field modelling…
Domain walls are functionally different from the domains they separate, but little is known about their mechanical properties. Using scanning probe microscopy, we have measured the mechanical response of ferroelectric 180o domain walls and…
Flexoelectric effect is the coupling between strain, polarization and their gradients, which are prominent at the nanoscale. Although this effect is important to understand nanostructures, such as domain walls in ferroelectrics, its…
The domain structure in in-plane magnetized Fe/Ni/W(110) films is investigated using spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy. A novel transition of the domain wall shape from a zigzag-like pattern to straight is observed as a function…
Monitoring structural changes in ferroelectric thin films during electric field-induced polarization switching is important for a full microscopic understanding of the coupled motion of charges, atoms and domain walls. We combine standard…
We investigate the ferroelectric phase transition and domain formation in a periodic superlattice consisting of alternate ferroelectric (FE) and paraelectric (PE) layers of nanometric thickness. We find that the polarization domains formed…
Simultaneous imaging of the piezoresponse phase, amplitude and bare surface topography of displacive ferroelectric thin films by scanning probe microscopy directly shows the nature of domain wall pinning and its relation to morphological…
Flexoelectricity describes the coupling between polarization and strain/stress gradients in insulating crystals. In this paper, using the Landau-Ginsburg-Devonshire phenomenological approach, we found that flexoelectricity could increase…
We study the ferroelectric stability and surface structural properties of an oxygen-terminated hexagonal YMnO$_3$ ultra-thin film using density functional theory. Under an open circuit boundary condition, the ferroelectric state with the…
Composite multiferroics, heterostructures of ferromagnetic (FM) and ferroelectric (FE) materials, are characterized by a remarkable magnetoelectric effect at the interface. Previous work has supported the ferromagnetic structure with…
Direct electron detectors in scanning transmission electron microscopy give unprecedented possibilities for structure analysis at the nanoscale. In electronic and quantum materials, this new capability gives access to, for example, emergent…
Spintronic devices currently rely on magnetic switching or controlled motion of domain walls by an external magnetic field or spin-polarized current. Achieving the same degree of magnetic controllability using an electric field has…
Density functional calculations are performed to investigate the experimentally-reported field-induced phase transition in thin-film ZrO2 (J. Muller et al., Nano. Lett. 12, 4318). We find a small energy difference of ~ 1 meV/f.u. between…
Charge-neutral 180$^\circ$ domain walls that separate domains of antiparallel polarization directions are common structural topological defects in ferroelectrics. In normal ferroelectrics, charged 180$^\circ$ domain walls running…