Time-Resolved X-Ray Diffraction Reveals the Hidden Mechanism of High Piezoelectric Activity in a Uniaxial Ferroelectric

Semën Gorfman, Hyeokmin Choe, Vladimir V. Shvartsman, Michael Ziolkowski, Marco Vogt, Jörg Strempfer, Tadeusz Łukasiewicz, Ullrich Pietsch, and Jan Dec
Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 097601 – Published 3 March 2015
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

High piezoelectric activity of many ferroelectrics has been the focus of numerous recent studies. The structural origin of this activity remains poorly understood due to a lack of appropriate experimental techniques and mixing of different mechanisms related to ferroelectricity and ferroelasticity. Our work reports on the study of a uniaxial Sr0.5Ba0.5Nb2O6 ferroelectric where the formation of regions with different spontaneous strains is ruled out by the symmetry and where the interrelation between piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity can be inspected in an isolated fashion. We performed x-ray diffraction experiments on a single crystalline sample under alternating electric field and observed an unknown hidden-in-the-bulk mechanism, which suggests that the highest piezoelectric activity is realized in the volumes where nucleation of small ferroelectric domains takes place. This new mechanism creates a novel roadmap for designing materials with enhanced piezoelectric properties.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 8 October 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.097601

© 2015 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Semën Gorfman1,*, Hyeokmin Choe1, Vladimir V. Shvartsman2, Michael Ziolkowski1, Marco Vogt1, Jörg Strempfer3, Tadeusz Łukasiewicz4, Ullrich Pietsch1, and Jan Dec5

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Siegen, D-57072 Siegen, Germany
  • 2Institute for Materials Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, D-45141 Essen, Germany
  • 3Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, D-22603 Hamburg, Germany
  • 4Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, 133 Wolczynska Street, PL-01-919 Warsaw, Poland
  • 5Institute of Materials Science, University of Silesia, 12 Bankowa Street, PL-40-007 Katowice, Poland

  • *gorfman@physik.uni-siegen.de

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 114, Iss. 9 — 6 March 2015

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×