Effects of Flexoelectrochemical Coupling in Thin Ferroelectric Films

Deep physical understanding and a possible control of polar properties of thin ferroelectric films are important for both fundamental research and the most promising applications. One of the ways to avoid the size-induced... [ view full abstract ]

Deep physical understanding and a possible control of polar properties of thin ferroelectric films are important for both fundamental research and the most promising applications. One of the ways to avoid the size-induced phase transition is introducing point elastic defects, that can strongly affect polarization of the film via electrostriction, chemical strains, flexoelectric effect etc. The combination of these effects, also called flexoelectrochemical coupling, is still poorly studied due to its complexity and gradient nature. A model of ferroelectric domain formation accounting for the flexoelectrochemical effect, provides us with understanding of thin film properties influenced by elastic defects and demonstrates new dependencies. Shapes of domains, strain and field distributions, and phase transition temperature are particularly impacted by the flexoelectrochemical coupling. Specific patterns of phase diagrams for different defect types and concentrations can help to significantly improve the polar properties of thin films, giving a degree of control over them.