Superlubric Motion of Wave-like Domain Walls in Sliding Ferroelectrics
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arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866917909993881600 |
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| author | Ke, Changming Liu, Fucai Liu, Shi |
| author_facet | Ke, Changming Liu, Fucai Liu, Shi |
| contents | Sliding ferroelectrics constructed from stacked nonpolar monolayers enable out-of-plane polarization in two dimensions with exceptional properties, including ultrafast switching speeds and fatigue-free behavior. However, the widely accepted switching mechanism, which posits synchronized long-distance in-plane translation of entire atomic layers driven by an out-of-plane electric field, has shown inconsistencies with experimental observations. We demonstrate that this spinodal decomposition-like homogeneous switching process violates Neumann's principle and is unlikely to occur due to symmetry constraint. Instead, symmetry-breaking domain walls (DWs) and the tensorial nature of Born effective charges are critical for polarization reversal, underscoring the quantum nature of sliding ferroelectrics. Using the Bernal-stacked $h$-BN bilayer as a model system, we discover that the coherent propagation of wide, wave-like domain walls is the key mechanism for ferroelectric switching. This mechanism fundamentally differs from the layer-by-layer switching associated with narrow domain walls, which has been established for over sixty years in perovskite ferroelectrics. Moreover, these wave-like DWs exhibit superlubric dynamics, achieving ultrahigh velocities of approximately 4000 m/s at room temperature and displaying an anomalous cooling-promoted switching speed. The unexpected emergence of DW superlubricity in sliding ferroelectrics presents new avenues for enhancing key performance metrics and offers exciting opportunities for applications in cryogenic environments. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_01007 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Superlubric Motion of Wave-like Domain Walls in Sliding Ferroelectrics Ke, Changming Liu, Fucai Liu, Shi Materials Science Computational Physics Sliding ferroelectrics constructed from stacked nonpolar monolayers enable out-of-plane polarization in two dimensions with exceptional properties, including ultrafast switching speeds and fatigue-free behavior. However, the widely accepted switching mechanism, which posits synchronized long-distance in-plane translation of entire atomic layers driven by an out-of-plane electric field, has shown inconsistencies with experimental observations. We demonstrate that this spinodal decomposition-like homogeneous switching process violates Neumann's principle and is unlikely to occur due to symmetry constraint. Instead, symmetry-breaking domain walls (DWs) and the tensorial nature of Born effective charges are critical for polarization reversal, underscoring the quantum nature of sliding ferroelectrics. Using the Bernal-stacked $h$-BN bilayer as a model system, we discover that the coherent propagation of wide, wave-like domain walls is the key mechanism for ferroelectric switching. This mechanism fundamentally differs from the layer-by-layer switching associated with narrow domain walls, which has been established for over sixty years in perovskite ferroelectrics. Moreover, these wave-like DWs exhibit superlubric dynamics, achieving ultrahigh velocities of approximately 4000 m/s at room temperature and displaying an anomalous cooling-promoted switching speed. The unexpected emergence of DW superlubricity in sliding ferroelectrics presents new avenues for enhancing key performance metrics and offers exciting opportunities for applications in cryogenic environments. |
| title | Superlubric Motion of Wave-like Domain Walls in Sliding Ferroelectrics |
| topic | Materials Science Computational Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.01007 |