Modeling 180° Domain Switching Population Dynamics in Polycrystalline Ferroelectrics

Abstract

The macroscopic hysteretic response associated to the underlying microscopic 180° switching of domains in a polycrystalline ferroelectric system is investigated for bipolar, sesquipolar, and unipolar electrical loadings. As a result of the intergranular interactions and physical electromechanical couplings, three polarization populations are found and summarized as the linear superposition of four Gaussian polarization distributions. These distributions quantify the simple switching, the negative switching, and the domain‐pinning mechanisms. The reconfiguration of the local polarization and hydrostatic stress distribution indicates that the polarization domains and stress fields are correlated during ferroelectric domain switching. Results show that in the sesquipolar regime, tensile stresses are minimized by 33% and compressive stress minimized by 38%. The maximum strain output decreases by only 1%, thus favoring favoring fatigue‐reduced actuation microstructures.

Phase coexistence near the polymorphic phase boundary

“…Very good agreement was found between experiments and the numerical results. Differences near the tails of the hysteresis loops are a result of the slow polarization switching of the last set of domains pinned by grain boundaries, as discussed by Zhao, Bowman and García [59].…”

Unconventional anomalous Hall effect from antiferromagnetic domain walls ofNd2Ir2O7thin films

“…It is well established in most ferroic materials that domain switching usually occurs at H C . When a switching becomes broadened due to pinning of DWs to defects and/or surfaces, the H C distribution in DW switching dynamics can be fitted with a Gaussian function[29,30]. To account for the asymmetry, we fitted our MR Asym (H) data with an asymmetric Gaussian function:…”

Combining experiments and modeling to characterize field driven phase transformations in relaxor ferroelectric single crystals

“…This led to simulations that closely matched experimental data. Similar models have been used in simulations of 180°domain switching [32].…”