Thermotropic phase boundaries in classic ferroelectrics

Tom T.A. Lummen, Yijia Gu, Jianjun Wang, Shiming Lei, Fei Xue, Amit Kumar, Andrew T. Barnes, Eftihia Barnes, Sava Denev, Alex Belianinov, Martin Holt, Anna N. Morozovska, Sergei V. Kalinin, Long-Qing Chen and Venkatraman Gopalan ()
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Tom T.A. Lummen: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Yijia Gu: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Jianjun Wang: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Shiming Lei: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Fei Xue: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Amit Kumar: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Andrew T. Barnes: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Eftihia Barnes: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Sava Denev: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Alex Belianinov: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge
Martin Holt: Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory
Anna N. Morozovska: Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 46, Nauki
Sergei V. Kalinin: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge
Long-Qing Chen: Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Venkatraman Gopalan: Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract High-performance piezoelectrics are lead-based solid solutions that exhibit a so-called morphotropic phase boundary, which separates two competing phases as a function of chemical composition; as a consequence, an intermediate low-symmetry phase with a strong piezoelectric effect arises. In search for environmentally sustainable lead-free alternatives that exhibit analogous characteristics, we use a network of competing domains to create similar conditions across thermal inter-ferroelectric transitions in simple, lead-free ferroelectrics such as BaTiO3 and KNbO3. Here we report the experimental observation of thermotropic phase boundaries in these classic ferroelectrics, through direct imaging of low-symmetry intermediate phases that exhibit large enhancements in the existing nonlinear optical and piezoelectric property coefficients. Furthermore, the symmetry lowering in these phases allows for new property coefficients that exceed all the existing coefficients in both parent phases. Discovering the thermotropic nature of thermal phase transitions in simple ferroelectrics thus presents unique opportunities for the design of ‘green’ high-performance materials.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4172

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