Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric
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-fiel...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57062-8 |
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| _version_ | 1849723113971908608 |
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| author | Manuel Zahn Aaron Merlin Müller Kyle P. Kelley Sabine Neumayer Sergei V. Kalinin István Kézsmarki Manfred Fiebig Thomas Lottermoser Neus Domingo Dennis Meier Jan Schultheiß |
| author_facet | Manuel Zahn Aaron Merlin Müller Kyle P. Kelley Sabine Neumayer Sergei V. Kalinin István Kézsmarki Manfred Fiebig Thomas Lottermoser Neus Domingo Dennis Meier Jan Schultheiß |
| author_sort | Manuel Zahn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-71e62297dd914c0c8f2a1a84073ea3f1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-71e62297dd914c0c8f2a1a84073ea3f12025-08-20T03:11:07ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-02-011611710.1038/s41467-025-57062-8Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectricManuel Zahn0Aaron Merlin Müller1Kyle P. Kelley2Sabine Neumayer3Sergei V. Kalinin4István Kézsmarki5Manfred Fiebig6Thomas Lottermoser7Neus Domingo8Dennis Meier9Jan Schultheiß10Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)Department of Materials, ETH ZurichCenter for Nanophase Materials Science, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryCenter for Nanophase Materials Science, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of TennesseeExperimental Physics V, Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, University of AugsburgDepartment of Materials, ETH ZurichDepartment of Materials, ETH ZurichCenter for Nanophase Materials Science, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)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.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57062-8 |
| spellingShingle | Manuel Zahn Aaron Merlin Müller Kyle P. Kelley Sabine Neumayer Sergei V. Kalinin István Kézsmarki Manfred Fiebig Thomas Lottermoser Neus Domingo Dennis Meier Jan Schultheiß Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric Nature Communications |
| title | Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric |
| title_full | Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric |
| title_fullStr | Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric |
| title_short | Reversible long-range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric |
| title_sort | reversible long range domain wall motion in an improper ferroelectric |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57062-8 |
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