Ferroelectric switching at edge dislocations in BaTiO$_3$ modelled at the atomic scale

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Wijekoon, Himal, Hirel, Pierre, Grünebohm, Anna
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Wijekoon, Himal
Hirel, Pierre
Grünebohm, Anna
author_facet Wijekoon, Himal
Hirel, Pierre
Grünebohm, Anna
contents Ferroelectric switching governs the functional properties of ferroelectric perovskites. It is widely accepted that this switching depends on domain nucleation and pinning and that these processes can be controlled by the defect structure. However, an atomistic picture of the influence of one important class of defects - dislocations on ferroelectric switching is missing. This is an important gap in knowledge as dislocations cannot be avoided at interfaces and can also be engineered by plastic deformation at high temperatures. Using atomistic simulations, we show how the cores of $\langle100\rangle$ edge dislocations in BaTiO$_3$ can either act as nucleation centers for ferroelectric switching or pin walls depending on the direction of the applied field. The coupling between electric field and polarization is strongest when the field is applied parallel to the Burgers vector of the dislocation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_22827
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Ferroelectric switching at edge dislocations in BaTiO$_3$ modelled at the atomic scale
Wijekoon, Himal
Hirel, Pierre
Grünebohm, Anna
Materials Science
Ferroelectric switching governs the functional properties of ferroelectric perovskites. It is widely accepted that this switching depends on domain nucleation and pinning and that these processes can be controlled by the defect structure. However, an atomistic picture of the influence of one important class of defects - dislocations on ferroelectric switching is missing. This is an important gap in knowledge as dislocations cannot be avoided at interfaces and can also be engineered by plastic deformation at high temperatures. Using atomistic simulations, we show how the cores of $\langle100\rangle$ edge dislocations in BaTiO$_3$ can either act as nucleation centers for ferroelectric switching or pin walls depending on the direction of the applied field. The coupling between electric field and polarization is strongest when the field is applied parallel to the Burgers vector of the dislocation.
title Ferroelectric switching at edge dislocations in BaTiO$_3$ modelled at the atomic scale
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.22827