@article{fd88674c60144d4c8a0890c7849ab1e2,
title = "Mechanically induced ferroelectric switching in BaTiO3 thin films",
abstract = "The ability to reverse or switch the polarization of a ferroelectric thin film through a mechanical force under an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip offers the exciting possibility of a voltage-free control of ferroelectricity. One of the important metrics for characterizing such a switching process is the critical force Fc required to reverse a polarization. However, the experimentally measured values of Fc display a large uncertainty and vary significantly even for the same ferroelectric film. Here, using BaTiO3 thin films as a model system, we systematically evaluate Fc using a combination of AFM-based experiments and phase-field simulations. In particular, we study the influence of the AFM tip radius, misfit strain, and film thickness on Fc as well as the interplay between the flexoelectric and piezoelectric effects. This work provides a deeper understanding on the mechanism and control of mechanically induced ferroelectric switching and thus guidance for exploring potential ferroelectric-based nanodevices based on mechanical switching.",
author = "Bo Wang and Haidong Lu and Bark, {Chung Wung} and Eom, {Chang Beom} and Alexei Gruverman and Chen, {Long Qing}",
note = "Funding Information: This work at The Pennsylvania State University is supported by the US National Science Foundation through Grant No. DMR-1744213 (L.-Q.C. and B.W.) and through (NSF)-Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) grant number DMR-1420620 (B.W.). The work at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was supported by the US National Science Foundation through the MRSEC under Grant No.DMR-1420645 (PFM experiments) and by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, under Award No. DE-SC0004876 (fabrication of thin films). The work at University of Wisconsin-Madison is supported by the Army Research Office through grant W911NF-17-1-0462. B. W. appreciates the reading and comments of the manuscript by Dr. Jianjun Wang and Xiaoxing Cheng. Funding Information: This work at The Pennsylvania State University is supported by the US National Science Foundation through Grant No. DMR-1744213 (L.-Q.C. and B.W.) and through (NSF)-Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) grant number DMR-1420620 (B.W.). The work at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was supported by the US National Science Foundation through the MRSEC under Grant No. DMR-1420645 (PFM experiments) and by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, under Award No. DE-SC0004876 (fabrication of thin films). The work at University of Wisconsin-Madison is supported by the Army Research Office through grant W911NF-17-1-0462 . B. W. appreciates the reading and comments of the manuscript by Dr. Jianjun Wang and Xiaoxing Cheng. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020",
year = "2020",
month = jul,
doi = "10.1016/j.actamat.2020.04.032",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "193",
pages = "151--162",
journal = "Acta Materialia",
issn = "1359-6454",
publisher = "Elsevier Limited",
}