Polarization Pinning at Antiphase Boundaries in Multiferroic YbFeO$_3$

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ren, Guodong, Omprakash, Pravan, Li, Xin, Yun, Yu, Thind, Arashdeep S., Xu, Xiaoshan, Mishra, Rohan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Ren, Guodong
Omprakash, Pravan
Li, Xin
Yun, Yu
Thind, Arashdeep S.
Xu, Xiaoshan
Mishra, Rohan
author_facet Ren, Guodong
Omprakash, Pravan
Li, Xin
Yun, Yu
Thind, Arashdeep S.
Xu, Xiaoshan
Mishra, Rohan
contents The switching characteristics of ferroelectrics and multiferroics are influenced by the interaction of topological defects with domain-walls. We report on the pinning of polarization due to antiphase boundaries in thin films of the multiferroic hexagonal YbFeO$_3$. We have directly resolved the atomic structure of a sharp antiphase boundary (APB) in YbFeO$_3$ thin films using a combination of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and total energy calculations based on density-functional theory (DFT). We find the presence of a layer of FeO$_6$ octahedra at the APB that bridge the adjacent domains. STEM imaging shows a reversal in the direction of polarization on moving across the APB, which DFT calculations confirm is structural in nature as the polarization reversal reduces the distortion of the FeO$_6$ octahedral layer at the APB. Such APBs in hexagonal perovskites are expected to serve as domain-wall pinning sites and hinder ferroelectric switching of the domains.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_08902
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Polarization Pinning at Antiphase Boundaries in Multiferroic YbFeO$_3$
Ren, Guodong
Omprakash, Pravan
Li, Xin
Yun, Yu
Thind, Arashdeep S.
Xu, Xiaoshan
Mishra, Rohan
Materials Science
The switching characteristics of ferroelectrics and multiferroics are influenced by the interaction of topological defects with domain-walls. We report on the pinning of polarization due to antiphase boundaries in thin films of the multiferroic hexagonal YbFeO$_3$. We have directly resolved the atomic structure of a sharp antiphase boundary (APB) in YbFeO$_3$ thin films using a combination of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and total energy calculations based on density-functional theory (DFT). We find the presence of a layer of FeO$_6$ octahedra at the APB that bridge the adjacent domains. STEM imaging shows a reversal in the direction of polarization on moving across the APB, which DFT calculations confirm is structural in nature as the polarization reversal reduces the distortion of the FeO$_6$ octahedral layer at the APB. Such APBs in hexagonal perovskites are expected to serve as domain-wall pinning sites and hinder ferroelectric switching of the domains.
title Polarization Pinning at Antiphase Boundaries in Multiferroic YbFeO$_3$
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.08902