Characterisation of ferroelectric domains in magnetite (Fe3O4)

TL;DR

This study provides real space images of ferroelectric domains in magnetite and investigates their emergence below 38 K using piezo force microscopy, revealing the temperature-dependent onset of ferroelectricity.

Contribution

It offers the first real space imaging of ferroelectric domains in magnetite and characterizes their behavior across the phase transition.

Findings

Real space images of ferroelectric domains obtained

Ferroelectricity onset observed below 38 K

Temperature-dependent behavior of domains characterized

Abstract

Magnetite has long been investigated across many disciplines due to the interplay between its ferroic order parameters, namely its ferrimagnetism, ferroelasticity and ferroelectricty. Despite this, the experimental difficulty in measuring low temperature real space images of the ferroelectric domains has meant that the local behaviour of ferroelectric domains emergent below the 38 K phase transition have yet to be realised. This work presents real space images of the ferroelectric domains, and uses piezo force microscopy to, as a function of temperature, probe the onset of piezoelectricty and ferroelectricity across the 38 K transition