Phase transitions in layered crystals

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how phase transitions in layered crystals occur through nucleation and growth, emphasizing their unique epitaxial nucleation and laminar domain structures, with implications for ferroelectric materials.

Contribution

It provides a detailed molecular mechanism of phase transitions in layered crystals and links their morphology to ferroelectric properties.

Findings

Phase transitions occur via nucleation and growth with specific morphology.

Nucleation is epitaxial, maintaining molecular layer orientation.

Laminar domain structures are formed during transitions.

Abstract

It is demonstrated by analyzing real examples that phase transitions in layered crystals occur like all other solid-state phase transitions by nucleation and crystal growth, but have a specific morphology. There the nucleation is epitaxial, resulting in the rigorous orientation relationship between the polymorphs, such that the direction of molecular layers are preserved. The detailed molecular mechanism of these phase transitions and formation of the laminar domain structures are described and related to the nature of ferroelectrics.