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Title: Giant elastic tunability in strained BiFeO3 near an electrically induced phase transition

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9985· OSTI ID:1244194
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China); RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), Saitama (Japan)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)

Elastic anomalies are signatures of phase transitions in condensed matters and have traditionally been studied using various techniques spanning from neutron scattering to static mechanical testing. Here, using band-excitation elastic/piezoresponse spectroscopy, we probed sub-MHz elastic dynamics of a tip bias-induced rhombohedral–tetragonal phase transition of strained (001)-BiFeO3 (rhombohedral) ferroelectric thin films from ~103 nm3 sample volumes. Near this transition, we observed that the Young's modulus intrinsically softens by over 30% coinciding with 2-3 folds enhancement of local piezoresponse. Coupled with phase-field modeling, we also addressed the influence of polarization switching and mesoscopic structural heterogeneities (e.g., domain walls) on the kinetics of this phase transition, thereby providing fresh insights into the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) in ferroelectrics. Moreover, the giant electrically tunable elastic stiffness and corresponding electromechanical properties observed here suggest potential applications of BiFeO3 in next-generation frequency-agile electroacoustic devices, based on utilization of the soft modes underlying successive ferroelectric phase transitions.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1244194
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 6, Issue 4; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 39 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (13)

Unraveling Elastic Anomalies during Morphotropic Phase Transitions journal November 2016
Deterministic optical control of room temperature multiferroicity in BiFeO3 thin films journal May 2019
Ultrafast electron-phonon coupling and photo-induced strain in the morphotropic phase boundary of BixDy1−xFeO3 films journal February 2018
Enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of C 3 N 4 /BiFeO 3 heterojunctions: the synergistic effects of band alignment and ferroelectricity journal January 2018
Room temperature ferroelectricity of hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites with mixed iodine and bromine journal January 2018
Fully spin-polarized quadratic non-Dirac bands realized quantum anomalous Hall effect journal January 2020
Mechanical probing of ferroelectrics at the nanoscale journal January 2019
Ferroelectric or non-ferroelectric: Why so many materials exhibit “ferroelectricity” on the nanoscale journal June 2017
Simultaneous scanning near-field optical and X-ray diffraction microscopy for correlative nanoscale structure–property characterization journal August 2019
Machine learning–enabled identification of material phase transitions based on experimental data: Exploring collective dynamics in ferroelectric relaxors journal March 2018
Evaluation of the Structural Phase Transition in Multiferroic (Bi1−x Prx)(Fe0.95 Mn0.05)O3 Thin Films by A Multi-Technique Approach Including Picosecond Laser Ultrasonics journal February 2019
Ferroelectric or non-ferroelectric: why so many materials exhibit ferroelectricity on the nanoscale preprint January 2017
Fully spin-polarized quadratic non-Dirac bands realized quantum anomalous Hall effect text January 2019

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