Superlubric Motion of Wave-like Domain Walls in Sliding Ferroelectrics

TL;DR

This paper reveals that wave-like domain walls in sliding ferroelectrics enable superlubric, ultrafast switching, challenging traditional layer-by-layer models and highlighting the quantum and symmetry-breaking aspects of polarization reversal.

Contribution

It introduces the discovery of wave-like domain wall propagation as the primary switching mechanism in sliding ferroelectrics, emphasizing superlubricity and ultrahigh velocities.

Findings

Wave-like domain walls propagate coherently during switching.

Domain walls exhibit superlubricity with velocities around 4000 m/s.

Switching speed is enhanced at lower temperatures due to anomalous cooling effects.

Abstract

Sliding ferroelectrics constructed from stacked nonpolar monolayers enable out-of-plane polarization in two dimensions with exceptional properties, including ultrafast switching speeds and fatigue-free behavior. However, the widely accepted switching mechanism, which posits synchronized long-distance in-plane translation of entire atomic layers driven by an out-of-plane electric field, has shown inconsistencies with experimental observations. We demonstrate that this spinodal decomposition-like homogeneous switching process violates Neumann's principle and is unlikely to occur due to symmetry constraint. Instead, symmetry-breaking domain walls (DWs) and the tensorial nature of Born effective charges are critical for polarization reversal, underscoring the quantum nature of sliding ferroelectrics. Using the Bernal-stacked $h$-BN bilayer as a model system, we discover that the coherent propagation of wide, wave-like domain walls is the key mechanism for ferroelectric switching. This mechanism fundamentally differs from the layer-by-layer switching associated with narrow domain walls, which has been established for over sixty years in perovskite ferroelectrics. Moreover, these wave-like DWs exhibit superlubric dynamics, achieving ultrahigh velocities of approximately 4000 m/s at room temperature and displaying an anomalous cooling-promoted switching speed. The unexpected emergence of DW superlubricity in sliding ferroelectrics presents new avenues for enhancing key performance metrics and offers exciting opportunities for applications in cryogenic environments.