Nanoscale Polarization-Dependent Young’s Modulus of Ferroelectric BaTiO3 Single Crystals

Checa, Marti; Stefani, Christina; Kelley, Kyle; Balke, Nina; Collins, Liam; Catalan, Gustau; Jesse, Stephen; Domingo, Neus

doi:10.1021/acsnano.4c13475

Nanoscale Polarization-Dependent Young’s Modulus of Ferroelectric BaTiO₃ Single Crystals

Journal Article · Wed Mar 05 23:00:00 EST 2025 · ACS Nano

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c13475· OSTI ID:2586944

^[1]; Stefani, Christina ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[4]; ^[3]; ^[2]; ^[3]; ^[1]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), Barcelona (Spain)
Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), Barcelona (Spain)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)

Flexoelectric fields produced by strong strain gradients at the nanoscale couple to ferroelectric polarization, promoting changes in the mechanical properties of ferroelectric materials as a function of the direction of the ferroelectric polarization. In this work, we calculate the asymmetry in the Young’s modulus found in oppositely polarized out-of-plane domains of BaTiO₃ single crystals by means of contact resonance AFM, and we evaluate its impact on the electromechanical response as measured by piezoresponse force microscopy, both using band excitation modes. Furthermore, we analyze the electromechanical response of the different BaTiO₃ domains using k-means to build up their mean elastic and electromechanical features and quantify the flexoelectrically induced modulation of the Young’s modulus. Finally, we discuss the use of contact Kelvin probe force microscope measurements to decouple electrostatic artifacts from purely piezoelectric ones when flexoelectric coupling appears.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF); Spanish Research Agency; Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program; Generalitat de Catalunya

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2586944

Journal Information:: ACS Nano, Journal Name: ACS Nano Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 19; ISSN 1936-086X; ISSN 1936-0851

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Related Subjects

BaTiO3 single crystals
Crystal structure
Polarization
Resonance structures
Stiffness
Young’s modulus
band excitation piezoresponse force microscopy
contact stiffness
ferroelectricity
flexoelectricity
mechanical properties

Nanoscale Polarization-Dependent Young’s Modulus of Ferroelectric BaTiO3 Single Crystals

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Nanoscale Polarization-Dependent Young’s Modulus of Ferroelectric BaTiO₃ Single Crystals