Ferroelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate and Barium Titanate Nanotubes

Wetting of the pore walls of porous templates is a simple and convenient method to prepare nanotubes. Ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate and barium titanate nanotubes were fabricated by wetting of porous silicon templates of polymeric precursors. The ferroand piezoelectric properties of an individual ferroelectric either of a PZT or a BaTiO3 nanotube were electrically characterized by measuring the local piezoelectric hysteresis. A sharp switching at the coercive voltage of about 2 V was shown from the hysterisis loop. The corresponding effective remnant piezoelectric coefficient is about 90 pm/V. We also expect that free-standing ferroelectric nanotubes obtained by partial etching of the silicon template will be used as building blocks of miniaturized devices and can have a significant impact in the field of nano-electromechanical systems.