Ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlattices
Abstract In ferroelectrics, complex interactions among various degrees of freedom enable the condensation of topologically protected polarization textures. Known as ferroelectric solitons, these particle-like structures represent a new class of materials with promise for beyond-CMOS technologies due...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39841-3 |
| _version_ | 1797778843605401600 |
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| author | Vivasha Govinden Peiran Tong Xiangwei Guo Qi Zhang Sukriti Mantri Mohammad Moein Seyfouri Sergei Prokhorenko Yousra Nahas Yongjun Wu Laurent Bellaiche Tulai Sun He Tian Zijian Hong Nagarajan Valanoor Daniel Sando |
| author_facet | Vivasha Govinden Peiran Tong Xiangwei Guo Qi Zhang Sukriti Mantri Mohammad Moein Seyfouri Sergei Prokhorenko Yousra Nahas Yongjun Wu Laurent Bellaiche Tulai Sun He Tian Zijian Hong Nagarajan Valanoor Daniel Sando |
| author_sort | Vivasha Govinden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In ferroelectrics, complex interactions among various degrees of freedom enable the condensation of topologically protected polarization textures. Known as ferroelectric solitons, these particle-like structures represent a new class of materials with promise for beyond-CMOS technologies due to their ultrafine size and sensitivity to external stimuli. Such polarization textures have scarcely been demonstrated in multiferroics. Here, we present evidence for ferroelectric solitons in (BiFeO3)/(SrTiO3) superlattices. High-resolution piezoresponse force microscopy and Cs-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy reveal a zoo of topologies, and polarization displacement mapping of planar specimens reveals center-convergent/divergent topological defects as small as 3 nm. Phase-field simulations verify that some of these structures can be classed as bimerons with a topological charge of ±1, and first-principles-based effective Hamiltonian computations show that the coexistence of such structures can lead to non-integer topological charges, a first observation in a BiFeO3-based system. Our results open new opportunities in multiferroic topotronics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T23:22:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8d2b14ead5b04a6f80aa22a0a8d0f6cd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T23:22:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-8d2b14ead5b04a6f80aa22a0a8d0f6cd2023-07-16T11:21:06ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-07-0114111010.1038/s41467-023-39841-3Ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlatticesVivasha Govinden0Peiran Tong1Xiangwei Guo2Qi Zhang3Sukriti Mantri4Mohammad Moein Seyfouri5Sergei Prokhorenko6Yousra Nahas7Yongjun Wu8Laurent Bellaiche9Tulai Sun10He Tian11Zijian Hong12Nagarajan Valanoor13Daniel Sando14School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales SydneyCenter of Electron Microscopy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales SydneyPhysics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of ArkansasSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales SydneyPhysics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of ArkansasPhysics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of ArkansasSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang UniversityPhysics Department and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of ArkansasCenter of Electron Microscopy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang UniversityCenter of Electron Microscopy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang UniversitySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales SydneySchool of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales SydneyAbstract In ferroelectrics, complex interactions among various degrees of freedom enable the condensation of topologically protected polarization textures. Known as ferroelectric solitons, these particle-like structures represent a new class of materials with promise for beyond-CMOS technologies due to their ultrafine size and sensitivity to external stimuli. Such polarization textures have scarcely been demonstrated in multiferroics. Here, we present evidence for ferroelectric solitons in (BiFeO3)/(SrTiO3) superlattices. High-resolution piezoresponse force microscopy and Cs-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy reveal a zoo of topologies, and polarization displacement mapping of planar specimens reveals center-convergent/divergent topological defects as small as 3 nm. Phase-field simulations verify that some of these structures can be classed as bimerons with a topological charge of ±1, and first-principles-based effective Hamiltonian computations show that the coexistence of such structures can lead to non-integer topological charges, a first observation in a BiFeO3-based system. Our results open new opportunities in multiferroic topotronics.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39841-3 |
| spellingShingle | Vivasha Govinden Peiran Tong Xiangwei Guo Qi Zhang Sukriti Mantri Mohammad Moein Seyfouri Sergei Prokhorenko Yousra Nahas Yongjun Wu Laurent Bellaiche Tulai Sun He Tian Zijian Hong Nagarajan Valanoor Daniel Sando Ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlattices Nature Communications |
| title | Ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlattices |
| title_full | Ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlattices |
| title_fullStr | Ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlattices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlattices |
| title_short | Ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlattices |
| title_sort | ferroelectric solitons crafted in epitaxial bismuth ferrite superlattices |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39841-3 |
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