The present paper reviews models of domain structure in ferroelectric crystals, thin films and bulk materials. Common crystal structures in ferroelectric materials are described and the theory of compatible domain patterns is introduced. Applications to multi-rank laminates are presented. Alternative models employing phase-field and related techniques are reviewed. The paper then presents metho...

The interfacial screening charge that arises to compensate electric fields of dielectric or ferroelectric thin films is now recognized as the most important factor in determining the capacitance or polarization of ultrathin ferroelectrics. Here we investigate using aberration-corrected electron microscopy and density-functional theory to show how interfaces cope with the need to terminate ferro...

Related Articles Modeling the switching kinetics in ferroelectrics J. Appl. Phys. 110, 114106 (2011) Ferroelectric phase transition and low-temperature dielectric relaxations in Sr4(La1xSmx)2Ti4Nb6O30 ceramics J. Appl. Phys. 110, 114101 (2011) Poling temperature tuned electric-field-induced ferroelectric to antiferroelectric phase transition in 0.89Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3-0.05K0.5Na0.5NbO3 ce...

With an ever-expanding demand for data storage, transducers, and microelectromechanical (MEMS) systems applications, materials with superior ferroelectric and piezoelectric responses are of great interest. The lead zirconate titanate (PZT) family of materials has served as the cornerstone for such applications up until now. A critical drawback of this material, however, is the presence of lead ...

The ability to control the microstructures and physical properties of hetero-epitaxial functional oxide thin films and artificial structures is a long-sought goal in functional materials research. Normally, only the lattice misfit between the film and the substrate is considered to govern the physical properties of the epitaxial films. In fact, the mismatch of film unit cell arrangement and the...

The mutual controls of ferroelectricity and magnetism are stepping towards practical applications proposed for quite a few promising devices in which multiferroic thin films are involved. Although ferroelectricity stemming from specific spiral spin ordering has been reported in highly distorted bulk perovskite manganites, the existence of magnetically induced ferroelectricity in the correspondi...

Effect of thermal annealing on ferroelectric domain structures in poly(vinylidene-fluoride-trifluorethylene) Langmuir-Blodgett thin films" (2014). Stephen Ducharme Publications. Paper 95. We report a piezo-response force microscopy study of the effect of thermal annealing on ferroelec-tric domain structures in 6 to 20 monolayer (11 to 36 nm) polycrystalline poly(vinylidene-fluoride-trifluorethy...

A new laser transfer process is reported which allows damage-free transfer of ferroelectric thin films from a growth substrate directly to a target substrate. The thin film ferroelectric material is deposited on a fused silica growth substrate with a sacrificial release layer of ITO (indium tin oxide). Regions of the film that are to be transferred are then selectively metallised, and bonded to...

Effects of -ray irradiation on ferroelectric properties of Pr and Mn co-substituted BiFeO3 thin films Zheng Wen, Di Wu, Jiating Zhu, and Aidong Li National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China College of Physi...

In thin film ferroelectric devices, switching of ferroelastic domains can significantly enhance electromechanical response. Previous studies have shown disagreement regarding the mobility or immobility of ferroelastic domain walls, indicating that switching behaviour strongly depends on specific microstructures in ferroelectric systems. Here we study the switching dynamics of individual ferroel...