Converse flexoelectricity yields large piezoresponse force microscopy signals in non-piezoelectric materials

Amir Abdollahi (), Neus Domingo (), Irene Arias and Gustau Catalan
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Amir Abdollahi: Laboratori de Càlcul Numèric (LaCàN), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Neus Domingo: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
Irene Arias: Laboratori de Càlcul Numèric (LaCàN), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Gustau Catalan: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Converse flexoelectricity is a mechanical stress induced by an electric polarization gradient. It can appear in any material, irrespective of symmetry, whenever there is an inhomogeneous electric field distribution. This situation invariably happens in piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), which is a technique whereby a voltage is delivered to the tip of an atomic force microscope in order to stimulate and probe piezoelectricity at the nanoscale. While PFM is the premier technique for studying ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity at the nanoscale, here we show, theoretically and experimentally, that large effective piezoelectric coefficients can be measured in non-piezoelectric dielectrics due to converse flexoelectricity.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09266-y

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