Polarization-based adjustable memory behavior in relaxor ferroelectrics.
The irreversible decay of the spontaneous polarization above the phase-transition temperature is a limiting factor in any application of ferroelectric crystals. Here we show that electric fields applied at high temperatures induce a preferred direction in the crystal which is stable even after repeated heating and cooling through the phase transition. This preference in direction leads to a reorientation of domains in the ferroelectric phase. We use pyroelectric measurements to show that the directional preference originates from internal charge carriers interacting with domain walls.
Granzow
T
T
Institut für Mineralogie, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicherstrasse 49b, D-50674 Köln, Germany.
Woike
Th
T
Wöhlecke
M
M
Imlau
M
M
Kleemann
W
W