Tuning Piezoelectricity via Thermal Annealing at a Freestanding Ferroelectric Membrane

Lu Han, Xinrui Yang, Yingzhuo Lun, Yue Guan, Futao Huang, Shuhao Wang, Jiangfeng Yang, Chenyi Gu, Zheng Bin Gu, Lisha Liu, Yaojin Wang, Peng Wang, Jiawang Hong*, Xiaoqing Pan, Yuefeng Nie*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Tuning the ferroelectric domain structure by a combination of elastic and electrostatic engineering provides an effective route for enhanced piezoelectricity. However, for epitaxial thin films, the clamping effect imposed by the substrate does not allow aftergrowth tuning and also limits the electromechanical response. In contrast, freestanding membranes, which are free of substrate constraints, enable the tuning of a subtle balance between elastic and electrostatic energies, giving new platforms for enhanced and tunable functionalities. Here, highly tunable piezoelectricity is demonstrated in freestanding PbTiO3 membranes, by varying the ferroelectric domain structures from c-dominated to c/a and a domains via aftergrowth thermal treatment. Significantly, the piezoelectric coefficient of the c/a domain structure is enhanced by a factor of 2.5 compared with typical c domain PbTiO3. This work presents a new strategy to manipulate the piezoelectricity in ferroelectric membranes, highlighting their great potential for nano actuators, transducers, sensors and other NEMS device applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2808-2815
Number of pages8
JournalNano Letters
Volume23
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Apr 2023

Keywords

  • ferroelectric perovskite oxide
  • freestanding complex oxide
  • lead titanate (PbTiO)
  • molecular beam epitaxy
  • piezoelectric

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