2021/10/12 by Reinis Ignatāns, Dragan Damjanović, Vasiliki Tileli · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · Materials Science · #Acoustic Wave Resonator Technologies #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Magnetic Properties and Applications
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.127.167601
openalex publication_date 2021/10/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Ferroelectric materials, upon electric field biasing, display polarization discontinuities known as Barkhausen jumps, a subclass of a more general phenomenon known as crackling noise. Herein, we follow and visualize in real time the motion of single 90° needle domains induced by an electric field applied in the polarization direction of the prototypical ferroelectric BaTiO3, inside a transmission electron microscope. The nature of motion and periodicity of the Barkhausen pulses leads to distinctive interactions between domains forming a herringbone pattern. Remarkably, the tips of the domains do not come into contact with the body of the perpendicular domain, suggesting the presence of strong electromechanical fields around the tips of the needle domains. Additionally, interactions of the domains with the lattice result in relatively free movement of the domain walls through the dielectric medium, indicating that their motion-related activation energy depends only on weak Peierls-like potentials. Control over the kinetics of ferroelastic domain wall motion can lead to novel nanoelectronic devices pertinent to computing and data storage applications.