Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The atomic structures at epitaxial film-substrate interfaces determine the scalability of thin films and can result in new phenomena. However, it is challenging to control the structure of the interface. In this work, we report the strong tunability of the epitaxial interface of improper ferroelectric hexagonal ferrites deposited on spinel ferrites, achieving the artificial selection of two types of interfaces that are related by a 90° rotation of in-plane epitaxial relations and feature either disordered or hybrid reconstruction. The hybrid-type interface exhibits characteristic structures of both hexagonal ferrites and spinel ferrites, which remove the critical thickness for improper ferroelectricity. This tunable interfacial structure provides critical insight into controlling interfacial clamping to maintain robust improper ferroelectricity at the two-dimensional limit.
Source: Nano Letters
Authors: Xin Li, Yu Yun, Guodong Ren, Arashdeep Singh Thind, Amit Kumar Shah, Rohan Mishra, Xiaoshan Xu
Language: English
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Unraveling Tunable Piezoelectricity in Hafnia-based Ferroelectrics, Rational Design of High-performance Semiconductors based on Inorganic Perovskites Containing Bismuth, CAREER: Rational Design of Ferroelectric Semiconductors, G2980723550, G3590340078, G359966564, G4857323855, G4928852893, NNCI: Nebraska Nanoscale Facility (NNF), G6645982954
OpenAlex ID: W4413055254