Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric

Manuel Zahn, Aaron Merlin Müller, Kyle P. Kelley, Sabine Neumayer, Sergei V. Kalinin, István Kézsmarki, Manfred Fiebig, Thomas Lottermoser, Neus Domingo, Dennis Meier () and Jan Schultheiß ()
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Manuel Zahn: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Aaron Merlin Müller: ETH Zurich
Kyle P. Kelley: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Sabine Neumayer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Sergei V. Kalinin: University of Tennessee
István Kézsmarki: University of Augsburg
Manfred Fiebig: ETH Zurich
Thomas Lottermoser: ETH Zurich
Neus Domingo: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Dennis Meier: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Jan Schultheiß: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Reversible ferroelectric domain wall movements beyond the 10 nm range associated with Rayleigh behavior are usually restricted to specific defect-engineered systems. Here, we demonstrate that such long-range movements naturally occur in the improper ferroelectric ErMnO3 during electric-field-cycling. We study the electric-field-driven motion of domain walls, showing that they readily return to their initial position after having traveled distances exceeding 250 nm. By applying switching spectroscopy band-excitation piezoresponse force microscopy, we track the domain wall movement with nanometric spatial precision and analyze the local switching behavior. Phase field simulations show that the reversible long-range motion is intrinsic to the hexagonal manganites, linking it to their improper ferroelectricity and topologically protected structural vortex lines, which serve as anchor point for the ferroelectric domain walls. Our results give new insight into the local dynamics of domain walls in improper ferroelectrics and demonstrate the possibility to reversibly displace domain walls over much larger distances than commonly expected for ferroelectric systems in their pristine state, ensuring predictable device behavior for applications such as tunable capacitors or sensors.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57062-8

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