Regensburg 2022 – wissenschaftliches Programm
Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe
KFM: Fachverband Kristalline Festkörper und deren Mikrostruktur
KFM 7: Focus Session: Defects and Interfaces in Multiferroics 2
KFM 7.6: Vortrag
Montag, 5. September 2022, 17:05–17:25, H5
Manipulation of improper ferroelectric domains in Gd2(MoO4)3 using temperature, electric fields, and mechanical stress — •Ivan Ushakov1, Theodor Holstad1, Didier Perrodin2, Edith Bourret2, Thomas Tybell1, and Dennis Meier1 — 1Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway — 2Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
In improper ferroelectrics, the spontaneous polarization arises as a biproduct of magnetic or structural order, promoting the formation of domains and domain walls with unusual electronic transport phenomena and scaling behavior. Gd2(MoO4)3 is a classical example of an improper ferroelectric material where a structural instability leads to the formation of a polar axis.
Here, we expand previous mesoscale microscopy studies of the domain structure to the nanoscale. By using piezoresponse force microscopy, we image the patterns of ferroelectric and structural anti-phase domains in Gd2(MoO4)3. In addition to the established domain patterns, we resolve so far unexplored stripe-like nanodomains with a periodicity of about 60 nm. Temperature-dependent measurements show that the nanodomains are stable up to 70∘C. Furthermore, we demonstrate reversible switching of these nanodomains by local electric fields and their control via mechanical stress. Our findings provide new insight into the nanoscale domain-physics of Gd2(MoO4)3 and introduce novel opportunities for domain engineering in improper ferroelectrics.