TY - JOUR
T1 - Depolarization of multidomain ferroelectric materials
AU - Zhao, Dong
AU - Lenz, Thomas
AU - Gelinck, Gerwin H.
AU - Groen, Pim
AU - Damjanovic, Dragan
AU - de Leeuw, Dago M.
AU - Katsouras, Ilias
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Depolarization in ferroelectric materials has been studied since the 1970s, albeit quasi-statically. The dynamics are described by the empirical Merz law, which gives the polarization switching time as a function of electric field, normalized to the so-called activation field. The Merz law has been used for decades; its origin as domain-wall depinning has recently been corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations. Here we experimentally investigate domain-wall depinning by measuring the dynamics of depolarization. We find that the boundary between thermodynamically stable and depolarizing regimes can be described by a single constant, Pr/ε0εferroEc. Among different multidomain ferroelectric materials the values of coercive field, Ec, dielectric constant, εferro, and remanent polarization, Pr, vary by orders of magnitude; the value for Pr/ε0εferroEc however is comparable, about 15. Using this extracted universal value, we show that the depolarization field is similar to the activation field, which corresponds to the transition from creep to domain-wall flow.
AB - Depolarization in ferroelectric materials has been studied since the 1970s, albeit quasi-statically. The dynamics are described by the empirical Merz law, which gives the polarization switching time as a function of electric field, normalized to the so-called activation field. The Merz law has been used for decades; its origin as domain-wall depinning has recently been corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations. Here we experimentally investigate domain-wall depinning by measuring the dynamics of depolarization. We find that the boundary between thermodynamically stable and depolarizing regimes can be described by a single constant, Pr/ε0εferroEc. Among different multidomain ferroelectric materials the values of coercive field, Ec, dielectric constant, εferro, and remanent polarization, Pr, vary by orders of magnitude; the value for Pr/ε0εferroEc however is comparable, about 15. Using this extracted universal value, we show that the depolarization field is similar to the activation field, which corresponds to the transition from creep to domain-wall flow.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85067227039&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-019-10530-4
DO - 10.1038/s41467-019-10530-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85067227039
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 10
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 2547
ER -