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Unraveling the origins of electromechanical response in mixed-phase bismuth ferrite

R. K. Vasudevan, M. B. Okatan, Y. Y. Liu, S. Jesse, J.-C. Yang, W.-I. Liang, Y.-H. Chu, J. Y. Li, S. V. Kalinin, and V. Nagarajan
Phys. Rev. B 88, 020402(R) – Published 8 July 2013
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Abstract

The origin of giant electromechanical response in a mixed-phase rhombohedral-tetragonal BiFeO3 thin film is probed using subcoercive scanning probe microscopy based multiple-harmonic measurements. Significant contributions to the strain arise from a second-order harmonic response localized at the phase boundaries. Strain and dissipation data, backed by thermodynamic calculations, suggest that the source of the enhanced electromechanical response is the motion of phase boundaries. These findings elucidate the key role of labile phase boundaries, both natural and artificial, in achieving thin films with giant electromechanical properties.

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  • Received 11 September 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.88.020402

©2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

R. K. Vasudevan1,*,†, M. B. Okatan1,*,†, Y. Y. Liu2, S. Jesse3, J.-C. Yang4, W.-I. Liang4, Y.-H. Chu4, J. Y. Li5, S. V. Kalinin3,‡, and V. Nagarajan1,§

  • 1School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Kensington 2052, Australia
  • 2Faculty of Materials, Optoelectronics and Physics, and Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Materials & Application Technology of Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105, China
  • 3The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
  • 4Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
  • 5Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-600, USA

  • *Current address: The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
  • These two authors contributed equally to the manuscript.
  • sergei2@ornl.gov
  • §nagarajan@unsw.edu.au

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Issue

Vol. 88, Iss. 2 — 1 July 2013

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