Phase diagrams, superdomains, and superdomain walls in KxNa(1-x)NbO3 epitaxial thin films

Domains and domain walls play a critical role in determining the functional properties of ferroelectric thin films for various applications. Understanding the formation and structures of the domains and domain walls is of vital importance to manipulating their configurations and exploring their dynamics. When domains assemble into hierarchical structures, the superdomains and superdomain walls emerge, which exhibits exotic morphology and may lead to distinct new behaviors. Here, taking the K0.5Na0.5NbO3 thin films as a model system, we establish the misfit strain-misfit strain phase diagram at different temperatures and study the formation condition, morphological features, and polarization configurations of two types of superdomain structures by using phase-field simulations, which compare well with prior experiments. We show how the superdomain structures can be viewed as superposition of two sets of polytwin structures along well-defined planes. Several types of superdomain walls are identified, which possess different energies and finite thickness in analogy to conventional domain walls. We also show that some superdomain walls can be anomalously wide and electrically conductive. This work can generate new interests in exploring the structures and functionalities of superdomain and superdomain walls in ferroelectric thin films, which can potentially be utilized for next-generation electronic devices. (C) 2021 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Work Title Phase diagrams, superdomains, and superdomain walls in KxNa(1-x)NbO3 epitaxial thin films
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Meng-Jun Zhou
  2. Bo Wang
  3. Adriana Ladera
  4. Laura Bogula
  5. Han-Xing Liu
  6. Long-Qing Chen
  7. Ce-Wen Nan
Keyword
  1. Ferroelectrics thin films
  2. Domain structures
  3. Superdomain
  4. Phase diagram
  5. Phase-field simulation
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Acta Materialia
Publication Date August 15, 2021
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2021.117038
Deposited August 10, 2022

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  • Added Phase diagrams, superdomains, and superdomain walls in KxNa 1-xNbO3 epitaxial thin films.pdf
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    Work Title
    • Phase diagrams, superdomains, and superdomain walls in KxNa1-xNbO3 epitaxial thin films
    • Phase diagrams, superdomains, and superdomain walls in KxNa(1-x)NbO3 epitaxial thin films
    Keyword
    • Ferroelectrics thin films, Domain structures, Superdomain, Phase diagram, Phase-field simulation
    Publisher
    • Acta Materialia
    Publisher Identifier (DOI)
    • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2021.117038
  • Deleted Creator Sandra Elder
  • Added Creator Meng-Jun Zhou
  • Added Creator Bo Wang
  • Added Creator Adriana Ladera
  • Added Creator Laura Bogula
  • Added Creator Han-Xing Liu
  • Added Creator Long-Qing Chen
  • Added Creator Ce-Wen Nan
  • Updated