Origin of sawtooth domain walls in ferroelectrics
Abstract
Domains and domain walls are among the key factors that determine the performance of ferroelectric materials. In recent years, a unique type of domain walls, i.e., the sawtooth-shaped domain walls, has been observed in BiFeO3 and PbTiO3. Here, we build a minimal model to reveal the origin of these sawtooth-shaped domain walls. Incorporating this model into Monte Carlo simulations shows that (i) the competition between the long-range Coulomb interaction (due to bound charges) and short-range interaction (due to opposite dipoles) is responsible for the formation of these peculiar domain walls and (ii) their relative strength is critical in determining the periodicity of these sawtooth-shaped domain walls. Necessary conditions to form such domain walls are also discussed.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review B
- Pub Date:
- February 2020
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.101.060103
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1905.07191
- Bibcode:
- 2020PhRvB.101f0103Z
- Keywords:
-
- Condensed Matter - Materials Science
- E-Print:
- Phys. Rev. B 101, 060103 (2020)