State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
Sci Rep. 2012;2:796. doi: 10.1038/srep00796. Epub 2012 Nov 12.
Vortex domain patterns in low-dimensional ferroelectrics and multiferroics have been extensively studied with the aim of developing nanoscale functional devices. However, control of the vortex domain structure has not been investigated systematically. Taking into account effects of inhomogeneous electromechanical fields, ambient temperature, surface and size, we demonstrate significant influence of mechanical load on the vortex domain structure in ferroelectric nanoplatelets. Our analysis shows that the size and number of dipole vortices can be controlled by mechanical load, and yields rich temperature-stress (T-S) phase diagrams. Simulations also reveal that transformations between "vortex states" induced by the mechanical load are possible, which is totally different from the conventional way controlled on the vortex domain by the electric field. These results are relevant to application of vortex domain structures in ferroelectric nanodevices, and suggest a novel route to applications including memories, mechanical sensors and transducers.
在低维铁电体和多铁体中，涡旋畴结构已得到广泛研究，旨在开发纳米级功能器件。然而，对涡旋畴结构的控制尚未得到系统研究。考虑到非均匀机电场、环境温度、表面和尺寸的影响，我们证明了机械负载对铁电纳米板中涡旋畴结构的显著影响。我们的分析表明，机械负载可以控制偶极子涡旋的大小和数量，并产生丰富的温度-应力（T-S）相图。模拟还表明，机械负载引起的“涡旋态”之间的转变是可能的，这与通过电场控制涡旋畴的传统方式完全不同。这些结果与涡旋畴结构在铁电纳米器件中的应用有关，并为包括存储器、机械传感器和换能器在内的应用提供了一条新途径。
