Observation of a periodic array of flux-closure quadrants in strained ferroelectric PbTiO 3 films

Abstract

Getting closure in ferroelectric films Ferroelectric materials have a spontaneous electric polarization that can be manipulated for applications. The polarization is usually not uniform throughout the material, and for nanosized ferroelectrics, polarization can be quite complex. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, Tang et al. found that in thin films of the ferroelectric PbTiO 3 , the polarization vector rotated in space, forming a closed loop, the so-called flux closure. The flux closure structures formed an array, with the period dependent on the width of the thin film, and caused the buildup of considerable strain within the crystal lattice of the material Science, this issue p. 547