Highly Polarizable Semiconductors and Universal Origin of Ferroelectricity in Materials with a Litharge-Type Structural Unit

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zhu, Ziye, Hu, Jiaming, Yuan, Yubo, Wang, Hua, Lin, Xiao, Li, Wenbin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Zhu, Ziye
Hu, Jiaming
Yuan, Yubo
Wang, Hua
Lin, Xiao
Li, Wenbin
author_facet Zhu, Ziye
Hu, Jiaming
Yuan, Yubo
Wang, Hua
Lin, Xiao
Li, Wenbin
contents We discover that a large family of [Pb$_2$F$_2$]- and [Bi$_2$O$_2$]-based mixed-anion materials with a litharge-type structural unit are highly polarizable layered semiconductors on the edge of ferroelectricity. First-principles calculations demonstrate that in this family of materials, compounds as diverse as PbFBr, BiOCl, BiCuOSe, Bi$_2$OS$_2$, and Bi$_5$O$_4$S$_3$Cl exhibit static dielectric constants an order of magnitude higher than typical semiconductors. Additionally, they undergo a ferroelectric transition when subjected to a few percent of tensile strain. The ferroelectric transitions of these materials are found to have a universal origin in the strong cross-bandgap hybridization of the cation $p$ orbitals, enabled by the cation 6s$^2$ lone-pair electrons and the litharge-type structure of the [Pb$_2$F$_2$] and [Bi$_2$O$_2$] layers, as demonstrated by the strain-induced ferroelectric transition in the archetypal litharge $α$-PbO. These results establish materials with a litharge-type structural unit as a large and versatile family of highly polarizable layered semiconductors in proximity to ferroelectricity, offering vast opportunities for multifunctional materials design.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_11577
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Highly Polarizable Semiconductors and Universal Origin of Ferroelectricity in Materials with a Litharge-Type Structural Unit
Zhu, Ziye
Hu, Jiaming
Yuan, Yubo
Wang, Hua
Lin, Xiao
Li, Wenbin
Materials Science
We discover that a large family of [Pb$_2$F$_2$]- and [Bi$_2$O$_2$]-based mixed-anion materials with a litharge-type structural unit are highly polarizable layered semiconductors on the edge of ferroelectricity. First-principles calculations demonstrate that in this family of materials, compounds as diverse as PbFBr, BiOCl, BiCuOSe, Bi$_2$OS$_2$, and Bi$_5$O$_4$S$_3$Cl exhibit static dielectric constants an order of magnitude higher than typical semiconductors. Additionally, they undergo a ferroelectric transition when subjected to a few percent of tensile strain. The ferroelectric transitions of these materials are found to have a universal origin in the strong cross-bandgap hybridization of the cation $p$ orbitals, enabled by the cation 6s$^2$ lone-pair electrons and the litharge-type structure of the [Pb$_2$F$_2$] and [Bi$_2$O$_2$] layers, as demonstrated by the strain-induced ferroelectric transition in the archetypal litharge $α$-PbO. These results establish materials with a litharge-type structural unit as a large and versatile family of highly polarizable layered semiconductors in proximity to ferroelectricity, offering vast opportunities for multifunctional materials design.
title Highly Polarizable Semiconductors and Universal Origin of Ferroelectricity in Materials with a Litharge-Type Structural Unit
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.11577