DOE OSTI · 3395433
Emergent topological polarization textures in relaxor ferroelectrics
Abstract
Relaxor ferroelectrics underpin high-performance actuators and sensors, yet the nature of polar heterogeneities driving their broadband dielectric response remains debated. Using a unified, multimodal structural refinement framework— simultaneously fitting complementary X-ray and neutron total scattering, X-ray absorption spectra, and diffuse scattering—we reconstruct 3D mesoscale polarization maps in the classic relaxor system PbMg 1/3 Nb 2/3 O 3 –PbTiO 3 . We uncover self-organized swirling polarization textures with half-skyrmion (meron) vortices, challenging models of independent polar nanoregions. These textures, characterized by smooth changes in the polarization direction, originate from overlapping volumes in which the projections of locally correlated polarization vectors onto each volume’s long axis share the same sign. Vortex cores correlate strongly with local charge and strain gradients imposed by compositional heterogeneities. In this work, our results suggest that chemical disorder, acting via depolarizing and strain fields, stabilizes topological vortex textures of the polarization field, offering a route for engineering new dielectric and ferroelectric functionalities.
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Eremenko, Maksim [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS); Theiss Research, La Jolla, CA (United States)] (ORCID:000000022875968X), Krayzman, Victor [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Theiss Research, La Jolla, CA (United States)], Gorfman, Semen [Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv (Israel)], Bosak, Alexei [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble (France)], Playford, Helen Y. [Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Didcot (United Kingdom). ISIS Neutron Source] (ORCID:0000000154458605), Chater, Philip A. [Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Didcot (United Kingdom). Diamond Light Source, Ltd.] (ORCID:0000000255139400), Ravel, Bruce [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States)], Laws, William J. [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States)], Ye, Feng [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)] (ORCID:0000000174774648), Minelli, Arianna [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)] (ORCID:0000000283103712), Wang, Bi-Xia [Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC (Canada)], Ye, Zuo-Guang [Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC (Canada)] (ORCID:0000000323787304), Tucker, Matthew G. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)] (ORCID:0000000228917086), Levin, Igor [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000272183526). 2025-08-13. Emergent topological polarization textures in relaxor ferroelectrics. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62658-1
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.