Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Eliseev, E. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Eliseev, E. A..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Intrinsic structural instabilities of domain walls driven by gradient coupling: Meandering antiferrodistortive-ferroelectric domain walls in BiFeO 3

Using the Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire approach, we predict the intrinsic instability of the ferroelectric-ferroelastic domain walls in the multiferroic BiFeO 3 emerging from the interplay between the gradient terms of the antiferrodistortive and ferroelectric order parameters at the walls. These instabilities are the interface analog of the structural instabilities in the vicinity of phase coexistence in the bulk, and so they do not stem from incomplete polarization screening in thin films or its spatial confinement, electrostrictive or flexoelectric coupling. The effect of BiFeO 3 material parameters on the 71°, 109°, and 180° walls is explored, and it is shown that the meandering instability appears at 109° and 180° walls for small gradient energies, and the walls become straight and broaden for higher gradients. In contrast to the 180° and 109° domain walls, uncharged 71° walls are always straight, and their width increases with increasing the tilt gradient coefficient. As a result, the wall instability and associated intrinsic meandering provide insight into the behavior of morphotropic and relaxor materials, wall pinning, and mechanisms of interactions between order parameter fields and local microstructure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Tuning the polar states of ferroelectric films via surface charges and flexoelectricity

In this work, using the self-consistent Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire approach we simulate and analyze the spontaneous formation of the domain structure in thin ferroelectric films covered with the surface screening charge represented by the Bardeen-type surface states. Hence we consider the competition between the screening and the domain formation as alternative ways to reduce the electrostatic energy and reveal unusual peculiarities of distributions of polarization, electric and elastic fields conditioned by the surface screening length and the flexocoupling strength. We have established that the critical thickness of the film and its transition temperature to a paraelectric phase strongly depend on the Bardeen screening length, while the flexocoupling affects the polarization rotation and closure domain structure. Furthermore the flexocoupling induces ribbon-like nano-scale domains in the film depth far from the top open surface, which might be related to the enigmatic polar nanoregions in relaxor ferroelectrics. Thus the joint action of the surface screening (originating from e.g. the adsorption of ambient ions or surface states) and flexocoupling may remarkably modify polar and electromechanical properties of thin ferroelectric films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Surface and finite size effects impact on the phase diagrams, polar, and dielectric properties of (Sr,Bi)Ta{sub 2}O{sub 9} ferroelectric nanoparticles

In the framework of the thermodynamic approach Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire (LGD) combined with the equations of electrostatics, we investigated the effect of polarization surface screening on finite size effects of the phase diagrams, polar, and dielectric properties of ferroelectric nanoparticles of different shapes. We obtained and analyzed the analytical results for the dependences of the ferroelectric phase transition temperature, critical size, spontaneous polarization, and thermodynamic coercive field on the shape and size of the nanoparticles. The pronounced size effect of these characteristics on the scaling parameter, the ratio of the particle characteristic size to the length of the surface screening, was revealed. Also our modeling predicts a significant impact of the flexo-chemical effect (that is a joint action of flexoelectric effect and chemical pressure) on the temperature of phase transition, polar, and dielectric properties of nanoparticles when their chemical composition deviates from the stoichiometric one. We showed on the example of the stoichiometric nanosized SrBi{sub 2}Ta{sub 2}O{sub 9} particles that except the vicinity of the critical size, where the system splitting into domains has an important role, results of analytical calculation of the spontaneous polarization have a little difference from the numerical ones. We revealed a strong impact of the flexo-chemical effect on the phase transition temperature, polar, and dielectric properties of Sr{sub y}Bi{sub 2+x}Ta{sub 2}O{sub 9} nanoparticles when the ratio Sr/Bi deviates from the stoichiometric value of 0.5 within the range from 0.35 to 0.65. From the analysis of experimental data, we derived the parameters of the theory, namely, the coefficients of expansion of the LGD functional, the contribution of flexo-chemical effect, and the length of the surface screening.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Self-consistent theory of nanodomain formation on non-polar surfaces of ferroelectrics

We propose a self-consistent theoretical approach capable of describing the features of the anisotropic nanodomain formation induced by a strongly inhomogeneous electric field of a charged scanning probe microscopy tip on nonpolar cuts of ferroelectrics. We obtained that a threshold field, previously regarded as an isotropic parameter, is an anisotropic function that is specified from the polar properties and lattice pinning anisotropy of a given ferroelectric in a self-consistent way. The proposed method for the calculation of the anisotropic threshold field is not material specific, thus the field should be anisotropic in all ferroelectrics with the spontaneous polarization anisotropy along the main crystallographic directions. The most evident examples are uniaxial ferroelectrics, layered ferroelectric perovskites, and low-symmetry incommensurate ferroelectrics. Obtained results quantitatively describe the differences at several times in the nanodomain length experimentally observed on X and Y cuts of LiNbO3 and can give insight into the anisotropic dynamics of nanoscale polarization reversal in strongly inhomogeneous electric fields.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Self-consistent modelling of electrochemical strain microscopy in mixed ionic-electronic conductors: Nonlinear and dynamic regimes

The frequency dependent Electrochemical Strain Microscopy (ESM) response of mixed ionic-electronic conductors is analyzed within the framework of Fermi-Dirac statistics and the Vegard law, accounting for steric effects from mobile donors. The emergence of dynamic charge waves and nonlinear deformation of the surface in response to bias applied to the tip-surface junction is numerically explored. The 2D maps of the strain and concentration distributions across the mixed ionic-electronic conductor and bias-induced surface displacements are calculated. The obtained numerical results can be applied to quantify the ESM response of Li-based solid electrolytes, materials with resistive switching, and electroactive ferroelectric polymers, which are of potential interest for flexible and high-density non-volatile memory devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Symmetry breaking and electrical frustration during tip-induced polarization switching in the non-polar cut of lithium niobate single crystals

Polarization switching in ferroelectric materials is governed by a delicate interplay between bulk polarization dynamics and screening processes at surfaces and domain walls. Here we explore the mechanism of tip-induced polarization switching in the non-polar cuts of uniaxial ferroelectrics. In this case, in-plane component of polarization vector switches, allowing for detailed observations of resultant domain morphologies. We observe surprising variability of resultant domain morphologies stemming from fundamental instability of formed charged domain wall and associated electric frustration. In particular, we demonstrate that controlling vertical tip position allows the polarity of the switching to be controlled. This represents very unusual form of symmetry breaking where mechanical motion in vertical direction controls the lateral domain growth. The implication of these studies for ferroelectric devices and domain wall electronics are discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Nonlinear space charge dynamics in mixed ionic-electronic conductors: Resistive switching and ferroelectric-like hysteresis of electromechanical response

We performed self-consistent modelling of nonlinear electrotransport and electromechanical response of thin films of mixed ionic-electronic conductors (MIEC) allowing for steric effects of mobile charged defects (ions, protons, or vacancies), electron degeneration, and Vegard stresses. We establish correlations between the features of the nonlinear space-charge dynamics, current-voltage, and bending-voltage curves for different types of the film electrodes. A pronounced ferroelectric-like hysteresis of the bending-voltage loops and current maxima on the double hysteresis current-voltage loops appear for the electron-transport electrodes. The double hysteresis loop with pronounced humps indicates a memristor-type resistive switching. The switching occurs due to the strong nonlinear coupling between the electronic and ionic subsystems. A sharp meta-stable maximum of the electron density appears near one open electrode and moves to another one during the periodic change of applied voltage. Our results can explain the nonlinear nature and correlation of electrical and mechanical memory effects in thin MIEC films. The analytical expression proving that the electrically induced bending of MIEC films can be detected by interferometric methods is derived.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ionic field effect and memristive phenomena in single-point ferroelectric domain switching

Electric field induced polarization switching underpins most functional applications of ferroelectric materials in information technology, materials science, and optoelectronics. In the last 20 years, much attention has been focused on the switching of individual domains using scanning probe microscopy, both as model of ferroelectric data storage and approach to explore fundamental physics of ferroelectric switching. The classical picture of tip induced switching includes formation of cylindrical domain oriented along the tip field, with the domain size is largely determined by the tip-induced field distribution and domain wall motion kinetics. The polarization screening is recognized as a necessary precondition to the stability of ferroelectric phase; however, screening processes are generally considered to be uniformly efficient and not leading to changes in switching behavior. Here, we demonstrate that single-point tip-induced polarization switching can give rise to a surprisingly broad range of domain morphologies, including radial and angular instabilities. These behaviors are traced to the surface screening charge dynamics, which in some cases can even give rise to anomalous switching against the electric field (ionic field effect). The implications of these behaviors for ferroelectric materials and devices are discussed.

Ievlev, Anton↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electrostrictive and electrostatic responses in contact mode voltage modulated Scanning Probe Microscopies

Electromechanical response of solids underpins image formation mechanism of several scanning probe microscopy techniques including the piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM). While the theory of linear piezoelectric and ionic responses are well developed, the contributions of quadratic effects including electrostriction and capacitive tip-surface forces to measured signal remain poorly understood. Here we analyze the electrostrictive and capacitive contributions to the PFM and ESM signals and discuss the implications of the dielectric tip-surface gap on these interactions.

Eliseev, E. A.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Variable temperature electrochemical strain microscopy of Sm-doped ceria

Variable temperature electrochemical strain microscopy has been used to study the electrochemical activity of Sm-doped ceria as a function of temperature and bias. The electrochemical strain microscopy hysteresis loops have been collected across the surface at different temperatures and the relative activity at different temperatures has been compared. The relaxation behavior of the signal at different temperatures has been also evaluated to relate kinetic process during bias induced electrochemical reactions with temperature and two different kinetic regimes have been identified. The strongly non-monotonic dependence of relaxation behavior on temperature is interpreted as evidence for water-mediated mechanisms.

Electrochemical Strain Microscopy (ESM)↗
DOE OSTI2012

Exploring Mesoscopic Physics of Vacancy-Ordered Systems through Atomic Scale Observations of Topological Defects

Vacancy-ordered transition metal oxides have multiple similarities to classical ferroic systems including ferroelectrics and ferroelastics. Bulk phase diagrams make the expansion coefficients for corresponding Ginzburg-Landau type free energies readily accessible. We demonstrate that the gradient and interfacial terms can quantitatively be determined from the atomically-resolved scanning transmission electron microscopy data of the topological defects and interfaces in model lanthanum-strontium cobaltite. Knowing this, the interplay between ordering, chemical composition, and mechanical effects at domain walls, interfaces and structural defects can be analyzed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Electrochemical strain microscopy with blocking electrodes: The role of electromigration and diffusion

Electrochemical strains are a ubiquitous feature of solid state ionic devices ranging from ion batteries and fuel cells to electroresistive and memristive memories. We proposed a scanning probe microscopy (SPM) based approach, referred as electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM), for probing local ionic flows and electrochemical reactions in solids based on bias-strain coupling. In ESM, the sharp SPM tip concentrates the electric field in a small (10-50 nm) region of material, inducing interfacial electrochemical processes and ionic flows. Furthermore, we use the resultant electrochemical strains to determine it from dynamic surface displacement and provide information on local electrochemical functionality. We also analyze image formation mechanism in ESM for a special case of mixed electronic-ionic conductor with blocking tip electrode, and determine frequency dependence of response, role of diffusion and electromigration effects, and resolution and detection limits.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗