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Article
Flexoelectricity and Ferroelectric Domain Wall Structures: Phase-Field Modeling and DFT Calculations
Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
  • Yijia Gu, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Menglei Li
  • Anna N. Morozovska
  • Yi Wang
  • Eugene A. Eliseev
  • For full list of authors, see publisher's website., For full list of authors, see publisher's website.
Abstract

We show that flexoelectric effect is responsible for the non-Ising character of a 180° ferroelectric domain wall. The wall, long considered being of Ising type, contains both Bloch- and Néel-type polarization components. Using the example of classic ferroelectric BaTiO3, and by incorporating the flexoelectric effect into a phase-field model, it is demonstrated that the flexoelectric effect arising from stress inhomogeneity around the domain wall leads to the additional Bloch and Néel polarization components. The magnitudes of these additional components are two or three magnitudes smaller than the Ising component, and they are determined by the competing depolarization and flexoelectric fields. Our results from phase-field model are consistent with the atomistic scale calculations. The results prove the critical role of flexoelectricity in defining the internal structure of ferroelectric domain walls.

Department(s)
Materials Science and Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
  • Ferroelectric materials,
  • Ferroelectricity,
  • Ferroelectric tunnel
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2014 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
5-1-2014
Publication Date
01 May 2014
Citation Information
Yijia Gu, Menglei Li, Anna N. Morozovska, Yi Wang, et al.. "Flexoelectricity and Ferroelectric Domain Wall Structures: Phase-Field Modeling and DFT Calculations" Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Vol. 89 Iss. 17 (2014) ISSN: 1098-0121; 1550-235X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/yijia-gu/55/