Vertically Free-Standing Ordered Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 Nanocup Arrays by Template-Assisted Ion Beam Etching

Abstract

In this report, vertically free-standing lead zirconate titanate Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) nanocup arrays with good ordering and high density (1.3 × 1010 cm−2) were demonstrated. By a template-assisted ion beam etching (IBE) strategy, the PZT formed in the pore-through anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane on the Pt/Si substrate was with a cup-like nanostructure. The mean diameter and height of the PZT nanocups (NCs) was about 80 and 100 nm, respectively, and the wall thickness of NCs was about 20 nm with a hole depth of about 80 nm. Uppermost, the nanocup structure with low aspect ratio realized vertically free-standing arrays when losing the mechanical support from templates, avoiding the collapse or bundling when compared to the typical nanotube arrays. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrum revealed that the as-prepared PZT NCs were in a perovskite phase. By the vertical piezoresponse force microscopy (VPFM) measurements, the vertically free-standing ordered ferroelectric PZT NCs showed well-defined ring-like piezoresponse phase and hysteresis loops, which indicated that the high-density PZT nanocup arrays could have potential applications in ultra-high non-volatile ferroelectric memories (NV-FRAM) or other nanoelectronic devices.

Flexoelectricity-Enhanced Photovoltaic Effect in Self-Polarized Flexible PZT Nanowire Array Devices

“…This breaks the equivalence of two polarization states and provides a strong tendency to align the domains to a preferred orientation. Additionally, the surface charges stored at the interface between PZT and Pt electrode may contribute to the observed asymmetric polarization states. − …”

Impedance Spectroscopy and Study of Electrical Properties of Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)_1-xFe_xO_3-x (0≤x≤0.20) Ceramics

“…The powders obtained were calcined at 700 ºC for 4 h. The calcined powders were mixed with the polyvinyl alcohol as a binder and pressed into pellets of diameter 12 mm. These pellets were placed in the rich PbO atmosphere using PbTiO3 as a spacer powder to compensate for the loss of lead that probably evaporated during heat treatment [17][18]. The pellets were then sintered at 1100 ºC for 4 h with a heating rate of 5 ºC/min.…”