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3D polarization texture of a symmetric 4-fold flux closure domain in strained ferroelectric PbTiO3 films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2016

Y.L. Tang ,
Y.L. Zhu ,
Z.J. Hong ,
E.A. Eliseev ,
A.N. Morozovska ,
Y.J. Wang ,
Y. Liu ,
Y.B. Xu ,
B. Wu  and
L.Q. Chen
...Show all authors
Y.L. Tang
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Y.L. Zhu
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Z.J. Hong
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
E.A. Eliseev
Affiliation:
Institute for Problems of Materials Science, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv 03142, Ukraine
A.N. Morozovska
Affiliation:
Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv 03028, Ukraine
Y.J. Wang
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Y. Liu
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Y.B. Xu
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
B. Wu
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
L.Q. Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
S.J. Pennycook
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore
X.L. Ma*
Affiliation:
Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: xlma@imr.ac.cn
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Abstract

Although the strong coupling of polarization to spontaneous strain in ferroelectrics would impart a flux-closure with severe disclination strains, recent studies have successfully stabilized such a domain via a nano-scaled multi-layer growth. Nonetheless, the detailed distributions of polarizations in three-dimensions (3D) and how the strains inside a flux closure affect the structures of domain walls are still less understood. Here we report a 3D polarization texture of a 4-fold flux closure domain identified in tensile strained ferroelectric PbTiO3/SrTiO3 multilayer films. Ferroelectric displacement analysis based on aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopic imaging reveals highly inhomogeneous strains with strain gradient above 107/m. These giant disclination strains significantly broaden the 90° domain walls, while the flexoelectric coupling at 180° domain wall is less affected. The present observations are helpful for understanding the basics of topological dipole textures and indicate novel applications of ferroelectrics through engineering strains.

Keywords

ferroelectricthin filmscanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM)

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Type
Articles
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Journal of Materials Research , Volume 32 , Issue 5: Focus Issue: Aberration Corrected Transmission Electron Microscopy , 14 March 2017 , pp. 957 - 967
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

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Footnotes

Contributing Editor: Rafal E. Dunin-Borkowski

References

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