Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics
Relaxor ferroelectrics, which can exhibit exceptional electromechanical coupling, are some of the most important functional materials, with applications ranging from ultrasound imaging to actuators. Since their discovery, their complex nanoscale chemical and structural heterogeneity has made the ori...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2020
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127773 |
| _version_ | 1811094508274712576 |
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| author | Kumar, Abinash Lebeau, James M |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering Kumar, Abinash Lebeau, James M |
| author_sort | Kumar, Abinash |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Relaxor ferroelectrics, which can exhibit exceptional electromechanical coupling, are some of the most important functional materials, with applications ranging from ultrasound imaging to actuators. Since their discovery, their complex nanoscale chemical and structural heterogeneity has made the origins of their electromechanical properties extremely difficult to understand. Here, we employ aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy to quantify various types of nanoscale heterogeneities and their connection to local polarization in the prototypical relaxor ferroelectric system Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3. We identify three main contributions that each depend on Ti content: chemical order, oxygen octahedral tilt and oxygen octahedral distortion. These heterogeneities are found to be spatially correlated with low-angle polar domain walls, indicating their role in disrupting long-range polarization and leading to nanoscale domain formation and the relaxor response. We further locate nanoscale regions of monoclinic-like distortion that correlate directly with Ti content and electromechanical performance. Through this approach, the connections between chemical heterogeneity, structural heterogeneity and local polarization are revealed, validating models that are needed to develop the next generation of relaxor ferroelectrics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:01:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/127773 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:01:26Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1277732022-10-02T05:46:12Z Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics Kumar, Abinash Lebeau, James M Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering Relaxor ferroelectrics, which can exhibit exceptional electromechanical coupling, are some of the most important functional materials, with applications ranging from ultrasound imaging to actuators. Since their discovery, their complex nanoscale chemical and structural heterogeneity has made the origins of their electromechanical properties extremely difficult to understand. Here, we employ aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy to quantify various types of nanoscale heterogeneities and their connection to local polarization in the prototypical relaxor ferroelectric system Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3. We identify three main contributions that each depend on Ti content: chemical order, oxygen octahedral tilt and oxygen octahedral distortion. These heterogeneities are found to be spatially correlated with low-angle polar domain walls, indicating their role in disrupting long-range polarization and leading to nanoscale domain formation and the relaxor response. We further locate nanoscale regions of monoclinic-like distortion that correlate directly with Ti content and electromechanical performance. Through this approach, the connections between chemical heterogeneity, structural heterogeneity and local polarization are revealed, validating models that are needed to develop the next generation of relaxor ferroelectrics. National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grants IIP-1841453 and IIP-1841466, ECCS-1542015) 2020-09-30T12:59:57Z 2020-09-30T12:59:57Z 2020-09 2019-11 2020-09-30T12:16:16Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1476-4660 1476-1122 https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127773 Kumar, Abinash et al. “Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics.” Nature Materials, 12 (September 2020): 3876 © 2020 The Author(s) en 10.1038/s41563-020-0794-5 Nature Materials Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf Springer Science and Business Media LLC Prof. LeBeau via Ye Li |
| spellingShingle | Kumar, Abinash Lebeau, James M Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics |
| title | Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics |
| title_full | Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics |
| title_fullStr | Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics |
| title_short | Atomic-resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics |
| title_sort | atomic resolution electron microscopy of nanoscale local structure in lead based relaxor ferroelectrics |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127773 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kumarabinash atomicresolutionelectronmicroscopyofnanoscalelocalstructureinleadbasedrelaxorferroelectrics AT lebeaujamesm atomicresolutionelectronmicroscopyofnanoscalelocalstructureinleadbasedrelaxorferroelectrics |