Surface Domain Structures and Mesoscopic Phase Transition in Relaxor Ferroelectrics

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2011 · Advanced Functional Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201002582· OSTI ID:1055167

Kholkin, Andrei ^[1]; Morozovska, A. N. ^[2]; Kiselev, Dmitri ^[1]; Akhremitchev, Dr. Boris B. ^[3]; Bdikin, Igor ^[1]; Rodriguez, Brian J ^[4]; Wu, P ^[5]; Bokov, Alexei A. ^[6]; Ye, Z. -G. ^[6]; Dkhil, Brahim ^[7]; Chen, Long-Qing ^[5]; Kosec, Marija ^[8]; Kalinin, Sergei V ^[4]

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1. University of Aveiro, Portugal
2. National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine
3. Duke University
4. ORNL
5. Pennsylvania State University
6. Simon Fraser University, Canada
7. Ecole Centrale Paris
8. Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia

Relaxor ferroelectrics are a prototypical example of ferroic systems in which interplay between atomic disorder and order parameters gives rise to emergence of unusual properties, including non-exponential relaxations, memory effects, polarization rotations, and broad spectrum of bias- and temperatureinduced phase transitions. Despite more than 40 years of extensive research following the original discovery of ferroelectric relaxors by the Smolensky group, the most basic aspect of these materials the existence and nature of order parameter has not been understood thoroughly. Using extensive imaging and spectroscopic studies by variable-temperature and time resolved piezoresponse force microscopy, we fi nd that the observed mesoscopic behavior is consistent with the presence of two effective order parameters describing dynamic and static parts of polarization, respectively. The static component gives rise to rich spatially ordered systems on the 100 nm length scales, and are only weakly responsive to electric fi eld. The surface of relaxors undergoes a mesoscopic symmetry breaking leading to the freezing of polarization fl uctuations and shift of corresponding transition temperature.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
• Sponsoring Organization: SC USDOE - Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1055167
• Journal Information: Advanced Functional Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Functional Materials Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 21; ISSN 1616-301X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English