Nanoscale Bubble Domains and Topological Transitions in Ultrathin Ferroelectric Films

Néel–Bloch domain walls; Calculations; Degrees of freedom (mechanics); Domain walls; Electric fields; Electron microscopy; Ferroelectric materials; Ferroelectricity; High resolution transmission electron microscopy; Nanotechnology; Polarization; Scanning electron microscopy; Scanning probe microscopy; Topology; Transmission electron microscopy; Ultrathin films; Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopies; Bloch domain wall; Bubble domains; Piezoresponse force microscopy; Ultrathin ferroelectric films; Ferroelectric films

Abstract :

[en] Observation of a new type of nanoscale ferroelectric domains, termed as “bubble domains”—laterally confined spheroids of sub-10 nm size with local dipoles self-aligned in a direction opposite to the macroscopic polarization of a surrounding ferroelectric matrix—is reported. The bubble domains appear in ultrathin epitaxial PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3/SrTiO3/PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 ferroelectric sandwich structures due to the interplay between charge and lattice degrees of freedom. The existence of the bubble domains is revealed by high-resolution piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), and is corroborated by aberration-corrected atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy mapping of the polarization displacements. An incommensurate phase and symmetry breaking is found within these domains resulting in local polarization rotation and hence impart a mixed Néel–Bloch-like character to the bubble domain walls. PFM hysteresis loops for the bubble domains reveal that they undergo an irreversible phase transition to cylindrical domains under the electric field, accompanied by a transient rise in the electromechanical response. The observations are in agreement with ab-initio-based calculations, which reveal a very narrow window of electrical and elastic parameters that allow the existence of bubble domains. The findings highlight the richness of polar topologies possible in ultrathin ferroelectric structures and bring forward the prospect of emergent functionalities due to topological transitions. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Disciplines :

Physics

Author, co-author :

Zhang, Q.; School of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Xie, L.; National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States

Liu, G.; School of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Prokhorenko, Sergei ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de physique > Physique théorique des matériaux

Nahas, Yousra ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de physique > Physique théorique des matériaux

Pan, X.; Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States

Bellaiche, L.; Physics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States

Gruverman, A.; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, United States

Valanoor, N.; School of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Language :

English

Title :

Nanoscale Bubble Domains and Topological Transitions in Ultrathin Ferroelectric Films

Publication date :

2017

Journal title :

Advanced Materials

ISSN :

0935-9648

eISSN :

1521-4095

Publisher :

Wiley-VCH Verlag

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

1702375

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 15 May 2021

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