Electric Polarization Research Articles

Theoretical Investigation of Electric Polarizability in Porphyrin-Zinc and Porphyrin-Zinc-Thiazole Complexes Using Small Property-Oriented Basis Sets.

Porphyrin complexes are of great importance due to their possible applications as sensors, solar cells and photocatalysts, as well as their ability to bind additional ligands. A valuable source of knowledge on their nature is their electric properties, which can be evaluated employing density functional theory (DFT) methods, supporting the experimental research. The present work aims at the application of small property-oriented basis sets in calculation of electric properties in transition metals, their oxides and test coordination complexes. Firstly, the existing polarized ZPol basis set for the first-row transition metals is modified in order to improve atomic polarizability results. For this purpose, optimization of the f-type polarization function exponent is carried out with respect to the value of average atomic polarizability of investigated metals. Next, both the original and the modified basis sets are employed in finite field CCSD(T) calculation of transition metal oxides' dipole moments, as well as DFT calculation of polarizabilities in porphyrin-zinc and porphyrin-zinc-thiazole complexes. The obtained results show that the ZPol and ZPol-A basis sets can be successfully employed in the calculation of linear electric properties in large systems. The optimization procedure used in the present work can be employed for other source basis sets and elements, leading to new efficient polarized basis sets.

Remote Activation of Antimicrobial Properties via Magnetoeletric Stimulation of Biopolymer‐Based Nanocomposites

AbstractAntimicrobial materials are crucial for high‐touch surfaces to prevent the adhesion and proliferation of microorganisms, playing a key role in infection control measures. In this work, a magnetoelectric nanocomposite able to exert antimicrobial activity when magnetically stimulated, is obtained by solvent casting. The nanocomposites, composed of poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and cobalt ferrite magnetostrictive nanoparticles (CFO NPs), respond to a variable magnetic field by mechanically stimulating the piezoelectric component of the material, thereby inducing an electrical polarization. The antimicrobial properties of the material are determined by exposing it to different frequencies (0.3 and 1 Hz) using a custom‐designed magnetic bioreactor, where the resulting electrical microenvironments are the contributing factor. The growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus over the nanocomposite is highly inhibited when magnetically stimulated (dynamic conditions) mainly at 0.3 Hz, in contrast to static conditions. The electric microenvironment is further measured upon magnetic stimulation, with PHBV films with 20% CFO inducing a voltage variation of ≈20 µV at the surface while the films with 10% CFO induced a voltage variation of ≈12 µV. This work demonstrated that magnetic stimulation, combined with magnetoelectric materials, can be used for remote antimicrobial control, thus preventing the spread of infections.

Self-healable and stretchable perovskite-elastomer gas-solid triboelectric nanogenerator for gesture recognition and gripper sensing

Gas-solid triboelectric nanogenerators (GS-TENGs) based on porous elastomers provide a promising avenue for the design of self-powered sensors. However, the intrinsic limitation of low electric output in GS-TENGs could affect the accuracy and sensitivity of sensing systems. Here, we develop a porous composite by integrating an adhesive poly(siloxane-diphenylglyoxime-urethane) (PSDU) elastomer with ferroelectric (3,3-difluorocyclobutylammonium) 2 CuCl 4 [(DF-CBA) 2 CuCl 4 ] fillers. PSDU, an intrinsically triboelectric negative material with alternating hard-soft segments and supramolecular bonds, imparts excellent compressibility, adhesion, and self-healing properties to the composite. Simultaneously, the incorporation of (DF-CBA) 2 CuCl 4 as functional fillers leverages the formation of a hydrogen bonding network to enhance charge transfer processes. These fillers facilitate charge accumulation through an electric poling process, resulting in a power output improvement that surpasses 1400 times higher than that of a dense PSDU-based GS-TENG. Tapping onto the versatile properties of porous poly(siloxane-diphenylglyoxime-urethane)-perovskite (PSDU-PK) GS-TENGs, applications such as hand gesture/food recognition and dual-mode sensing system have been demonstrated, suggesting their promising potential in wearable electronics and smart agriculture.

Design and performance of a dual-band plasmonic perfect absorber for infrared refractive index sensing

In this study, we introduce what we believe is an innovative design for a plasmonic perfect absorber (PPA) that is based on half-cut disk resonator metamaterials. This design exhibits remarkable stability and versatility, demonstrating effective functionality across a wide range of incident angles for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarization. The distinct operational characteristics of the PPA are highlighted by the presence of two corresponding absorption peaks at wavelengths of 870 and 1599 nm, where it achieves outstanding maximum absorption rates of 98.99% and 97.5%, respectively. The design’s ultra-narrow resonance peaks are indicative of its high-quality factors, which are vital for enhancing sensitivity in plasmonic sensory applications. This characteristic renders our PPA an exceptional candidate for refractive index (RI) sensing, where precision is critical. The dual-band perfect absorber (PA)-based sensor demonstrates significant RI sensitivity, with values approximately equal to 365 nm/RIU at the first absorption peak and 733 nm/RIU at the second. Our findings elucidate the exceptional potential inherent in this novel dual-band perfect absorber design. The versatility and efficiency across varied applications not only contribute to the existing body of knowledge but also pave the way for future advancements in plasmonic sensor technologies and metamaterial research.

Fracture behaviors and crack propagation anisotropy in multi-ions modified bismuth titanate ferroelectrics

Bismuth titanate (BIT) is widely considered a promising lead-free piezoelectric material for advanced high-temperature applications. Despite significant advances in high-performance BIT ferroelectrics, there remains little understanding of mechanical properties including fracture failure and crack propagation behaviors, hindering the optimization of stability and reliability for next-generation high-temperature ferroelectrics. In this work, we investigated mechanical fracture and crack propagation behaviors of a type of high-performance bismuth titanate-based ceramic (Bi3.96Ce0.04Ti3–2xWxNbxO12, BCTWN) with different doping contents and electric poling states. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) results reveal that the BCTWN ceramics possess a single ferroelectric phase and exhibit layered crystal structures characterized by periodic fringe features. In addition, the striped domain structures are observed on the surface of plate-like grains. Mechanical measurements indicate that fracture behaviors of BCTWN ceramics are significantly affected by doping contents. The ceramics with the largest grain size present inferior microstructure with more defects, endowing the lowest bending strength and fracture toughness. For the samples with different poling states, strong anisotropy in crack propagation and fracture toughness is observed, attributed to the different domain switching mechanisms driven by local incompatible stress fields, which is experimentally validated by the intriguing evolutions of striped domain structures around crack tips. This work advances our understanding of the fracture and crack propagation mechanisms of BIT-based ceramics and provides insight into tailoring the mechanical behaviors through doping and poling strategies.

Ultrahigh Capacitive Energy Storage in a Heterogeneous Nanolayered Composite

AbstractFerroelectric polymers with robust electrical polarization have been extensively investigated for capacitive energy storage. However, their inherent ferroelectric hysteresis loss limits the discharged energy density and compromises energy efficiency. Here, a heterogeneous nanolayered composite of ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride‐trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF‐TrFE)) and Al2O3 is presented, which effectively mitigates ferroelectric hysteresis loss while maintaining high polarization and enhanced breakdown strength. Phase‐field simulations indicate that the polarization behaviors of the heterogeneous layered structure are jointly influenced by the thickness and dielectric constant of each component, which balances the electrical energy and Landau energy within the heterogeneous system. Guided by the theoretical simulations, optimized polarization behaviors are achieved with a significant reduction in remnant polarization and ferroelectric loss in the P(VDF‐TrFE)/Al2O3 composites through careful control of P(VDF‐TrFE) thickness at nanometer scale. Moreover, the presence of multiple interfaces in the layered composites leads to a remarkable enhancement in polarization and breakdown strength. Consequently, an ultrahigh energy density of about 108 J cm−3 is achieved with a high charge–discharge efficiency of exceeding 80%. This work not only presents a straightforward approach to modify the polarization behaviors of ferroelectric polymers but also demonstrates a promising strategy for developing high‐energy‐density polymer nanocomposites.

Prediction of multiferroicity in the layered hydrogen-bonded system α-CrOOH: Proton transfer ferroelectricity and strain-tunable magnetic transition

Ferroelectric materials with vertical polarization could provide ground-breaking device applications, compatible with electric-field switching even in the presence of a surface-depolarizing field. Herein, we present theoretical evidence that rhombohedral chromium oxide hydroxide α-CrOOH, which has been synthesized experimentally, is a type-Ⅰ multiferroic. First-principles calculations plus Monte Carlo simulations indicate that α-CrOOH is a room temperature proton transfer ferroelectricity semiconductor with robust electric polarization as large as 24.6 μC/cm2. Moreover, the system exhibits an anti-ferromagnetism ground state with a Neel temperature of 340 K, where strain can modulate the transition from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic. Finally, a two-dimensional (2D) heterostructure model was designed, composed of monolayer α-CrOOH and functional MXene, for various applications such as non-volatile memory (NVM). The remarkable properties may enable the system to hold great potential for the development of future multifunctional devices.

Spontaneous parametric downconversion in a laser-poled lithium niobate nonlinear photonic crystal with nanoscale resolution.

Based on quasi-phase-matching (QPM) theory, nonlinear photonic crystals (NPCs) are capable of realizing efficient spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) for the generation of photonic entangled states. However, the traditional electric field poling techniques employed in NPC fabrication often result in non-negligible processing errors of a few hundred nanometers, thus impeding the production of quantum photon pairs as intended. In this work, we investigate the SPDC photon pairs generated in a laser-poled lithium niobate (LN) NPC. By using the recently developed laser poling technique, the processing error of the NPC is substantially reduced to approximately 15 nm. Consequently, the coincidence counts of the generated photon pairs in the experiment reach 83.6% of the designed value. Our result paves the way for on-demand production of high-quality quantum sources, which has potential applications in quantum communications and quantum computations.

Surface-near domain engineering in multi-domain x-cut lithium niobate tantalate mixed crystals

Lithium niobate and lithium tantalate are among the most widespread materials for nonlinear, integrated photonics. Mixed crystals with arbitrary Nb–Ta ratios provide an additional degree of freedom to not only tune materials properties, such as the birefringence but also leverage the advantages of the singular compounds, for example, by combining the thermal stability of lithium tantalate with the larger nonlinear or piezoelectric constants of lithium niobate. Periodic poling allows to achieve phase-matching independent of waveguide geometry and is, therefore, one of the commonly used methods in integrated nonlinear optics. For mixed crystals, periodic poling has been challenging so far due to the lack of homogeneous, mono-domain crystals, which severely inhibit domain growth and nucleation. In this work, we investigate surface-near (<1μm depth) domain inversion on x-cut lithium niobate tantalate mixed crystals via electric field poling and lithographically structured electrodes. We find that naturally occurring head-to-head or tail-to-tail domain walls in the as-grown crystal inhibit domain inversion at a larger scale. However, periodic poling is possible if the gap size between the poling electrodes is of the same order of magnitude or smaller than the average size of naturally occurring domains. This work provides the basis for the nonlinear optical application of lithium niobate tantalate mixed crystals.

Unveiling the NLO Potential of New Zn (II) Complex of 6‐Methylpyridine‐2‐Carboxaldehyde: Experimental/DFT Study on Spectral, Static, and Frequency‐Dependent Linear/Nonlinear Optical Parameters

ABSTRACTOngoing exploration focuses on synthesizing and characterizing coordination compounds to improve the design of nonlinear optical (NLO)‐based materials. In this regard, to examine spectral and static/frequency–dependent linear/NLO parameters, the new Zn (II) complex {[Zn(6‐MePyAld)2(Cl)]; 6‐MePyAld: 6‐methylpyridine‐2‐carboxaldehyde} was synthesized and characterized by using 1H and 13C NMR, mass (LC‐HRMS), powder XRD, and FTIR spectra. The electronic features of synthesized complex were investigated by considering the TD‐CAM‐B3LYP/ and TD‐M06L/6‐311G(d,p)//LanL2DZ levels of time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT). Moreover, the theoretical linear optical (LO), second‐, and third‐order NLO susceptibility tensors/polarization (χ(1)/P(1), χ(2)/P(2), χ(3)/P(3)) parameters for the Zn (II) complex were computed using the DFT/M06L and DFT/CAM‐B3LYP levels. The external electric field (E), polarization (P), and electric displacement (D) values of the Zn (II) complex were also calculated using the same DFT levels. To investigate microscopic LO (isotropic polarizability <α(0;0)>/<α(−ω;ω)>, and anisotropic polarizability (∆α (0;0)/∆α (−ω;ω)) and second‐/third‐order NLO (<β(0;0,0)>/<β(−ω;ω,0), <β(−2ω;ω,ω)>/<γ(0;0,0,0)>/<γ(−ω;ω,0,0)> and <γ(−2ω;ω,ω,0)>) parameters for the Zn (II) complex, the DFT/M06L and DFT/CAM‐B3LYP levels in the gas phase were used. The ∆α (0;0), ∆α (−ω;ω), <β(0;0,0)>, <β(−ω;ω,0)>, and <β(−2ω;ω,ω)> for Zn (II) complex were computed at 17.288 × 10−24, 21.782 × 10−24, 14.692 × 10−30, 466.80 × 10−30, and 210.79 × 10−30 esu, respectively, by using the DFT/CAM‐B3LYP level. Moreover, the <γ(0;0,0,0)>/<γ(−ω;ω,0,0)> and <γ(−2ω;ω,ω,0)> in the gas phase computed at the DFT/CAM‐B3LYP level for Zn (II) complex were obtained at 129.74 × 10−36, 3997.6 × 10−36, and −886.60 × 10−36 esu, in turn. According to the CAM‐B3LYP level, the <γ(0;0,0,0)> value is 8.65 and 18.53 times higher than the values of para‐nitroaniline (pNA) and urea, respectively. The obtained static/dynamic β and γ values of Zn (II) complex are greater than those of urea and pNA. Zn (II) complex exhibited remarkably microscopic second‐order and particularly third‐order NLO features. It is predicted that our study will shed light on NLO materials that might be used in telecommunication and optoelectronics.

Pressure-induced multiple structural phase transitions on multiferroic CaMn7O12

CaMn7O12 (CMO) is an outstanding multiferroic material known for its significant magnetically-induced electric polarization. Its strong magnetoelectric (ME) effect, i.e., electric polarization controlled via magnetic fields or vice versa, makes this material suitable for a variety of technological applications. In this study, we employed synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction to explore polycrystalline CMO's pressure-induced structural phase transitions (SPTs). Our results indicate that CMO undergoes two distinct pressure-induced SPTs: the first transition occurs at pressures above 7.0 GPa, changing from a rhombohedral to an orthorhombic structure, and the second occurs around 13.0 GPa, transforming into a monoclinic structure. These findings differ from the pressure-induced behavior of CMO single crystals and highlight CMO as one of the rare quadruple perovskites exhibiting multiple pressure-induced non-isostructural phase transitions. This study expands the understanding of phase stability behavior in multiferroic materials under high-pressure conditions.

Optimized energy storage performances via high-entropy design in KNN-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics

Dielectric capacitors play an irreplaceable role in complex and integrated electronic systems. However, attaining ultrahigh recoverable energy storage density (Wrec) alongside energy storage efficiency (η) poses a formidable challenge, impeding the advance towards the miniaturization and integration of cutting-edge energy storage devices. In this work, a high-entropy strategy with a viscous polymer process is adopted, bringing about ultrafine grains and polar nanoregions (PNRs) accompanied by enhanced electrical homogeneity and polarization relaxation characteristics. As a result, an ultrahigh Wrec ∼ 7.51 J/cm3 is achieved in a high-entropy KNN-based energy storage ceramic with a high η ∼ 88.4% at 750 kV/cm. Moreover, the ceramic capacitor exhibits a colossal power density reaching approximately 420 MW/cm3 and a discharge energy density of approximately 4.85 J/cm3 at 160 ℃. Impressively, it maintains low variation rates of less than 4% across a broad temperature range from 20 ℃ to 160 ℃. The new approach opens avenues for the design and development of superior dielectric materials used in next-generation high-power pulse devices.

Intertwined Flexoelectricity and Stacking Ferroelectricity in Marginally Twisted hBN Moiré Superlattice.

Moiré superlattices in twisted van der Waals homo/heterostructures present a fascinating interplay between electronic and atomic structures, with potential applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Flexoelectricity, an electromechanical coupling between electric polarization and strain gradient, is intrinsic to these superlattices because of the lattice misfit strain at the atomic scale. However, due to its weak magnitude, the effect of flexoelectricity on moiré ferroelectricity has remained underexplored. Here, the role of flexoelectricity in shaping and modulating the moiré ferroelectric patterns in twisted hBN homojunction is unveiled. Enhanced flexoelectric effects induce unique stacking ferroelectric domains with hollow triangular structures. Interlayer bubbles influence domain shape and periodicity through local electric field modulation, and tip-stress enables the reversible manipulation of domain area and polarization direction. These findings highlight the impact of flexoelectric effects on moiré ferroelectricity, offering a new tuning knob for its manipulation.

Magnetoelectrics for Implantable Bioelectronics: Progress to Date.

ConspectusThe coupling of magnetic and electric properties manifested in magnetoelectric (ME) materials has unlocked numerous possibilities for advancing technologies like energy harvesting, memory devices, and medical technologies. Due to this unique coupling, the magnetic properties of these materials can be tuned by an electric field; conversely, their electric polarization can be manipulated through a magnetic field.Over the past seven years, our lab work has focused on leveraging these materials to engineer implantable bioelectronics for various neuromodulation applications. One of the main challenges for bioelectronics is to design miniaturized solutions that can be delivered with minimally invasive procedures and yet can receive sufficient power to directly stimulate tissue or power electronics to perform functions like communication and sensing.Magnetoelectric coupling in ME materials is strongest when the driving field matches a mechanical resonant mode. However, miniaturized ME transducers typically have resonance frequencies >100 kHz, which is too high for direct neuromodulation as neurons only respond to low frequencies (typically <1 kHz). We discuss two approaches that have been proposed to overcome this frequency mismatch: operating off-resonance and rectification. The off-resonance approach is most common for magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) that typically have resonance frequencies in the gigahertz range. In vivo experiments on rat models have shown that MENPs could induce changes in neural activity upon excitation with <200 Hz magnetic fields. However, the neural response has latencies of several seconds due to the weak coupling in the off-resonance regime.To stimulate neural responses with millisecond precision, we developed methods to rectify the ME response so that we could drive the materials at their resonant frequency but still produce the slowly varying voltages needed for direct neural stimulation. The first version of the stimulator combined a ME transducer and analog electronics for rectification. To create even smaller solutions, we introduced the first magnetoelectric metamaterial (MNM) that exhibits self-rectification. Both designs have effectively induced neural modulation in rat models with less than 5 ms latency.Based on our experience with in vivo testing of the rectified ME stimulators, we found it challenging to deliver the precisely controlled therapy required for clinical applications, given the ME transducer's sensitivity to the external transmitter alignment. To overcome this challenge, we developed the ME-BIT (MagnetoElectric BioImplanT), a digitally programmable stimulator that receives wireless power and data through the ME link.We further expanded the utility of this technology to neuromodulation applications that require high stimulation thresholds by introducing the DOT (Digitally programmable Overbrain Therapeutic). The DOT has voltage compliance up to 14.5 V. We have demonstrated the efficacy of these designs through various in vivo studies for applications like peripheral nerve stimulation and epidural cortical stimulation.To further improve these systems to be adaptive and enable a network of coordinated devices, we developed a bidirectional communication system to transmit data to and from the implant. To enable even greater miniaturization, we developed a way to use the same ME transducer for wireless power and data communication by developing the first ME backscatter communication protocol.

Efficient photon-pair generation in layer-poled lithium niobate nanophotonic waveguides

Integrated photon-pair sources are crucial for scalable photonic quantum systems. Thin-film lithium niobate is a promising platform for on-chip photon-pair generation through spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). However, the device implementation faces practical challenges. Periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN), despite enabling flexible quasi-phase matching, suffers from poor fabrication reliability and device repeatability, while conventional modal phase matching (MPM) methods yield limited efficiencies due to inadequate mode overlaps. Here, we introduce a layer-poled lithium niobate (LPLN) nanophotonic waveguide for efficient photon-pair generation. It leverages layer-wise polarity inversion through electrical poling to break spatial symmetry and significantly enhance nonlinear interactions for MPM, achieving a notable normalized second-harmonic generation (SHG) conversion efficiency of 4615% W−1cm−2. Through a cascaded SHG and SPDC process, we demonstrate photon-pair generation with a normalized brightness of 3.1 × 106 Hz nm−1 mW−2 in a 3.3 mm long LPLN waveguide, surpassing existing on-chip sources under similar operating configurations. Crucially, our LPLN waveguides offer enhanced fabrication reliability and reduced sensitivity to geometric variations and temperature fluctuations compared to PPLN devices. We expect LPLN to become a promising solution for on-chip nonlinear wavelength conversion and non-classical light generation, with immediate applications in quantum communication, networking, and on-chip photonic quantum information processing.

Latent Electronic (Anti-)Ferroelectricity in BiNiO_{3}.

BiNiO_{3} exhibits an unusual metal-insulator transition from Pnma to P1[over ¯] that is related to charge ordering at the Bi sites, which is intriguingly distinct from the charge ordering at Ni sites usually observed in related rare-earth nickelates. Here, using first principles calculations, we first rationalize the phase transition from Pnma to P1[over ¯], revealing an overlooked intermediate P2_{1}/m bridging phase and a complex interplay between distinct degrees of freedom. Going further, we point out that the charge ordering at Bi sites in the P1[over ¯] phase is not unique. We highlight an alternative polar ordering giving rise to a ferroelectric Pmn2_{1} phase nearly degenerated in energy with P1[over ¯] and showing an in-plane electric polarization of 53 μC/cm^{2} directly resulting from the charge ordering. The close energy of Pmn2_{1} and P1[over ¯] phases, together with low energy barrier between them, make BiNiO_{3} a potential electronic antiferroelectric in which the field-induced transition from nonpolar to polar would relate to nonadiabatic intersite electron transfer. We also demonstrate the possibility to stabilize an electronic ferroelectric ground state from strain engineering in thin films, using an appropriate substrate.

Enhanced Electrical Polarization in van der Waals α-In2Se3 Ferroelectric Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors by Eliminating Surface Screening Charge.

A van der Waals (vdW) α-In2Se3 ferroelectric semiconductor channel-based field-effect transistor (FeS-FET) has emerged as a next-generation electronic device owing to its versatility in various fields, including neuromorphic computing, nonvolatile memory, and optoelectronics. However, screening charges cause by the imperfect surface morphology of vdW α-In2Se3 inhibiting electrical polarization remain an unresolved issue. In this study, for the first time, a method is elucidated to recover the inherent electric polarization in both in- and out-of-plane directions of the α-In2Se3 channel based on post-exfoliation annealing (PEA) and improve the electrical performance of vdW FeS-FETs. Following PEA, an ultra-thin In2Se3-3xO3x layer formed on the top surface of the α-In2Se3 channel is demonstrated to passivate surface defects and enhance the electrical performance of FeS-FETs. The on/off current ratio of the α-In2Se3 FeS-FET has increased from 5.99 to 1.84 × 106, and the magnitude of ferroelectric resistance switching has increased from 1.20 to 26.01. Moreover, the gate-modulated artificial synaptic operation of the α-In2Se3 FeS-FET is demonstrated and illustrate the significance of the engineered interface in the vdW FeS-FET for its application to multifunctional devices. The proposed α-In2Se3 FeS-FET is expected to provide a significant breakthrough for advanced memory devices and neuromorphic computing.

Electric dipole polarizabilities and tune-out wavelengths for 23S1 and 33S1 states of Be2.

The electric dipole polarizabilities and the tune-out wavelengths for the n3S1 (n = 2, 3) states of Be2+ are determined through the application of the relativistic full-configuration-interaction approach. Our calculations directly integrate the mass shift operator into the Dirac-Coulomb-Breit Hamiltonian and further assess the quantum electrodynamics (QED) correction to the dynamic dipole polarizabilities using perturbation theory. The results reveal that the static electric dipole polarizability of the 23S1 and 33S1 states, as well as the 93nm tune-out wavelength of the 23S1 state and the 238nm tune-out wavelength of the 33S1 state, exhibits a high sensitivity to QED correction, which exceeds 80 ppm, providing a sensitive test for atomic structure theory.

Enhanced Pyroelectricity Over Extended Thermal Range in Flexible Polymer Thin Films

AbstractPolymer‐based pyroelectric thin films are crucial functional materials at the core of flexible and lightweight electronic devices, such as wearable monitoring sensors, energy harvesters, and infrared detectors. Nevertheless, the pyroelectric properties of the polymer films, such as poly(vinylidene fluoride‐trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF‐TrFE)), vanish when the surrounding temperature exceeds the ferroelectric‐to‐paraelectric transition temperature, and thus limits their pyroelectric performance to a low‐temperature range. Herein, to mitigate this issue by employing a new class of P(VDF‐TrFE) copolymer which has a low TrFE molar content is proposed. Fine‐tuning of the structure through thermal annealing in a vacuum environment significantly favors robust and highly polarized polymer films with a large area. Electric poling combined with an optimal annealing temperature (110–120 °C) gives highly ordered ferroelectric crystalline domains in the polymer films. Consequently, this remarkably broadens the temperature range (roughly up to 140 °C) for which the polymer film still presents high pyroelectric properties (pyroelectric coefficient 50 µC (m2K)−1). This study provides an alternative choice for pyroelectric polymer films with enhanced pyroelectricity in applications that require wider temperature ranges.

Insights into pressure-driven depolarization in PLZST-based antiferroelectric ceramics

Materials showing field-driven antiferroelectric to ferroelectric transformation are interesting for the design of pyroelectric, high strain actuator and high-power dielectric energy storage and discharge devices. The stability of the antiferroelectric and ferroelectric states at room temperature can be chemically tuned by La and Ti co-modification of the antiferroelectric system Pb(Zr1-ySny)O3. Here, we have chosen a composition Pb0.982La0.012(Zr0.60Sn0.30Ti0.10)O3 (PLZST) at the threshold of the antiferroelectric-ferroelectric instability at room temperature and investigated the effect of electric field, temperature and pressure on the stability of the structural-polar states. We show that electric poling transforms irreversibly the antiferroelectric state into a ferroelectric state. Application of hydrostatic pressure ∼100 MPa on the field-stabilized ferroelectric phase, however, restores the antiferroelectric state and depolarizes the system.