Publications

Multistep stochastic mechanism of polarization reversal in rhombohedral ferroelectrics

Y. A. Genenko, R. Khachaturyan, I. S. Vorotiahin, J. Schultheiß, J. E. Daniels, A. Grünebohm, J. Koruza.

Physical Review B, 102, 064107, (2020)

Experimental measurements (dots) of polarization kinetics and consequent strain variation, fitted by a multistep stochastic mechanism model (solid line) with all possible switching channels (insert) for an orthorhombic symmetry.

Abstract
A stochastic model for the field-driven polarization reversal in rhombohedral ferroelectrics is developed, providing a description of their temporal electromechanical response. Application of the model to simultaneous measurements of polarization and strain kinetics in a rhombohedral Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramic over a wide time window allows the identification of preferable switching paths, fractions of individual switching processes, and their activation fields. In conjunction, the phenomenological Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory is used to analyze the impact of an external field and stress on switching barriers, showing that residual mechanical stress may promote the fast switching.

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