4,223 research outputs found
Materials Contrast in Piezoresponse Force Microscopy
Piezoresponse Force Microscopy contrast in transversally isotropic material
corresponding to the case of c+ - c- domains in tetragonal ferroelectrics is
analyzed using Green's function theory by Felten et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 96, 563
(2004)]. A simplified expression for PFM signal as a linear combination of
relevant piezoelectric constant are obtained. This analysis is extended to
piezoelectric material of arbitrary symmetry with weak elastic and dielectric
anisotropies. This result provides a framework for interpretation of PFM
signals for systems with unknown or poorly known local elastic and dielectric
properties, including nanocrystalline materials, ferroelectric polymers, and
biopolymers.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted to Appl. Phys. Lett. (without
Appendices), algebraic errors were correcte
Quantum Flexoelectricity in Low Dimensional Systems
Symmetry breaking at surfaces and interfaces and the capability to support
large strain gradients in nanoscale systems enable new forms of
electromechanical coupling. Here we introduce the concept of quantum
flexoelectricity, a phenomenon that is manifested when the mechanical
deformation of non-polar quantum systems results in the emergence of net dipole
moments and hence linear electromechanical coupling proportional to local
curvature. The concept is illustrated in carbon systems, including
polyacetylene and nano graphitic ribbons. Using density functional theory
calculations for systems made of up to 400 atoms, we determine the
flexoelectric coefficients to be of the order of ~ 0.1 e, in agreement with the
prediction of linear theory. The implications of quantum flexoelectricity on
electromechanical device applications, and physics of carbon based materials
are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure
Probing the role of single defects on the thermodynamics of electric-field induced phase transitions
The kinetics and thermodynamics of first order transitions is universally
controlled by defects that act as nucleation sites and pinning centers. Here we
demonstrate that defect-domain interactions during polarization reversal
processes in ferroelectric materials result in a pronounced fine structure in
electromechanical hysteresis loops. Spatially-resolved imaging of a single
defect center in multiferroic BiFeO3 thin film is achieved, and the defect size
and built-in field are determined self-consistently from the single-point
spectroscopic measurements and spatially-resolved images. This methodology is
universal and can be applied to other reversible bias-induced transitions
including electrochemical reactions.Comment: 34 pages,4 figures, high quality figures are available upon request,
submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Mixing Effects in the Crystallization of Supercooled Quantum Binary Liquids
By means of Raman spectroscopy of liquid microjets we have investigated the
crystallization process of supercooled quantum liquid mixtures composed of
parahydrogen (pH) diluted with small amounts of up to 5\% of either neon or
orthodeuterium (oD), and of oD diluted with either Ne or pH. We
show that the introduction of Ne impurities affects the crystallization
kinetics in both the pH-Ne and oD-Ne mixtures in terms of a significant
reduction of the crystal growth rate, similarly to what found in our previous
work on supercooled pH-oD liquid mixtures [M. K\"uhnel et {\it al.},
Phys. Rev. B \textbf{89}, 180506(R) (2014)]. Our experimental results, in
combination with path-integral simulations of the supercooled liquid mixtures,
suggest in particular a correlation between the measured growth rates and the
ratio of the effective particle sizes originating from quantum delocalization
effects. We further show that the crystalline structure of the mixture is also
affected to a large extent by the presence of the Ne impurities, which likely
initiate the freezing process through the formation of Ne crystallites.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, submitted to J. Chem. Phy
Contrast Mechanisms for the Detection of Ferroelectric Domains with Scanning Force Microscopy
We present a full analysis of the contrast mechanisms for the detection of
ferroelectric domains on all faces of bulk single crystals using scanning force
microscopy exemplified on hexagonally poled lithium niobate. The domain
contrast can be attributed to three different mechanisms: i) the thickness
change of the sample due to an out-of-plane piezoelectric response (standard
piezoresponse force microscopy), ii) the lateral displacement of the sample
surface due to an in-plane piezoresponse, and iii) the electrostatic tip-sample
interaction at the domain boundaries caused by surface charges on the
crystallographic y- and z-faces. A careful analysis of the movement of the
cantilever with respect to its orientation relative to the crystallographic
axes of the sample allows a clear attribution of the observed domain contrast
to the driving forces respectively.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
A theory of metamaterials based on periodically loaded transmission lines: Interaction between magnetoinductive and electromagnetic waves
Published versio
Anomalous Dynamic Scaling in Locally-Conserved Coarsening of Fractal Clusters
We report two-dimensional phase-field simulations of locally-conserved
coarsening dynamics of random fractal clusters with fractal dimension D=1.7 and
1.5. The correlation function, cluster perimeter and solute mass are measured
as functions of time. Analyzing the correlation function dynamics, we identify
two different time-dependent length scales that exhibit power laws in time. The
exponents of these power laws are independent of D, one of them is apparently
the classic exponent 1/3. The solute mass versus time exhibits dynamic scaling
with a D-dependent exponent, in agreement with a simple scaling theory.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
- …