Ferroelectric Polycrystals: Structural and microstructural levers for property engineering via domain-wall dynamics

TL;DR

This review explores how structural and microstructural factors influence domain-wall dynamics in ferroelectric polycrystals, offering insights for property engineering and future applications in nanoelectronics and energy storage.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the microstructural control of domain-wall motion and introduces an engineering toolbox for property tuning in ferroelectric polycrystals.

Findings

Microstructure significantly affects domain-wall motion.

Advances in nanoscale understanding inform macroscopic performance.

Emerging techniques enable new ferroelectric applications.

Abstract

Ferroelectrics have a spontaneous electrical polarization that is arranged into domains and can be reversed by an externally applied field. This high versatility makes them useful in enabling components such as capacitors, sensors, and actuators. The key to tuning their dielectric, piezoelectric, and electromechanical performance is to control the domain structure and the dynamics of the domain walls. In fixed compositions, this is often realized by chemical doping. In addition, structural and microstructural parameters, such as grain size, degree of crystallographic texture or porosity play a key role. A major breakthrough in the field came with the fundamental understanding of the link between the local electric and mechanical driving forces and domain wall motion. Here, the impact of structure and microstructure on these driving forces is reviewed and an engineering toolbox is introduced. An overview of advances in the understanding of domain wall motion on the micro- and nanoscale is provided and discussed in terms of the macroscopic functional performance of polycrystalline ferroelectrics/ferroelastics. In addition, a link to theoretical and computational models is established. The review concludes with a discussion about beyond state-of-the-art characterization techniques, new approaches, and future directions toward non-conventionally ordered ferroelectrics for next-generation nanoelectronics and energy-storage applications.