Related papers: Flexoelectric Polarization Enhancement in Paraelec…
Multiple experiments have observed a sharp transition in the band structure of LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (001) interfaces as a function of applied gate voltage. This Lifshitz transition, between a single occupied band at low electron density and…
Bulk chalcogenide perovskite BaZrS3 (BZS), with a direct band gap in visible region, is an important photovoltaic material, albeit with limited applicability owing to its antiferroelectric (AF) nature. Presently, ferroelectric (FE)…
We report a more than 10-fold enhancement of the piezoelectric coefficient $d_{33}$ of polycrystalline CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_3$ (MAPbI$_3$) films when interfacing them with ferroelectric PbZr$_{0.2}$Ti$_{0.8}$O$_3$ (PZT). Piezo-response force…
Bestowing CMOS-compatible binary oxides with additional functionalities is a powerful strategy toward the realization of oxide electronics. Ideal candidates are thin films which display a strong sensitivity to strain, chemical doping or…
The evolution of tetragonality with thickness has been probed in epitaxial c-axis oriented PbTiO3 films with thicknesses ranging from 500 down to 24 Angstroms. High resolution x-ray pointed out a systematic decrease of the c-axis lattice…
Flexoelectricity is a property of all dielectric materials, where inhomogeneous strain induces electrical polarization. This effect becomes particularly prominent at the nanoscale where larger strain gradients can be obtained. While…
In this work we analyze the finite-size effects on the structural properties and on the polarization of the rhombohedral phase of HfO$_2$ subjected to a biaxial compressive strain. We show how the presence of surface charges affects the…
The metastable orthorhombic phase of hafnia is generally obtained in polycrystalline films, whereas in epitaxial films, its formation has been much less investigated. We have grown Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films by pulsed laser deposition, and the…
Ferroelectrics display spontaneous and switchable electrical polarization. Until recently, ferroelectricity was believed to disappear at the nanoscale; now, nano-ferroelectrics are being considered in numerous applications. This renewed…
Ferroelectric materials display exotic polarization textures at the nanoscale that could be used to improve the energetic efficiency of electronic components. The vast majority of studies were conducted in two dimensions on thin films, that…
The sensitivity of materials properties, particularly those of perovskite oxides, to epitaxial strain has been exploited to great advantage to create materials with new or enhanced properties. Although it has certainly been recognized that…
Ferroelectric HfO2-based materials hold great potential for widespread integration of ferroelectricity into modern electronics due to their robust ferroelectric properties at the nanoscale and compatibility with the existing Si technology.…
Atomic-scale understanding of HfO2 ferroelectricity is important to help address many challenges in developing reliable and high-performance ferroelectric HfO2 (fe-HfO2) based devices. Though investigated from different angles, a factor…
Piezoelectrics interconvert mechanical energy and electric charge and are widely used in actuators and sensors. The best performing materials are ferroelectrics at a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), where several phases can intimately…
We consider phase separated states in magnetic oxides (MO) thin films. We show that these states have a non-zero electric polarization. Moreover, the polarization is intimately related to a spatial distribution of magnetization in the film.…
In studies using piezoresponse force microscopy, we observe a non-zero lateral piezoresponse at 180$^\circ$ domain walls in out-of-plane polarized, c-axis-oriented tetragonal ferroelectric Pb(Zr$_{0.2}$Ti$_{0.8}$)O$_3$ epitaxial thin films.…
Ferroelastic twin walls in nonpolar materials can give rise to a spontaneous polarization due to symmetry breaking. Nevertheless, the bi-stable polarity of twin walls and its reversal have not yet been demonstrated. Here, we report that the…
Halide perovskites have outstanding photovoltaic properties which have been optimized through interfacial engineering. However, as these materials approach the limits imposed by the physics of semiconductor junctions, it is urgent to…
Hafnia (HfO$_2$)-based thin films have promising applications in nanoscale electronic devices due to their robust ferroelectricity and integration with silicon. However, HfO$_2$ has various stable and metastable polymorphs with quite…
The hyperfine interaction between the quadrupole moment of atomic nuclei and the electric field gradient (EFG) provides information on the electronic charge distribution close to a given atomic site. In ferroelectric materials, the loss of…