title: Ferroelectrics. Observation of a periodic array of flux-closure quadrants in strained ferroelectric PbTiO₃ films.
abstract: Nanoscale ferroelectrics are expected to exhibit various exotic domain configurations, such as the full flux-closure pattern that is well known in ferromagnetic materials. Here we observe not only the atomic morphology of the flux-closure quadrant but also a periodic array of flux closures in ferroelectric PbTiO3 films, mediated by tensile strain on a GdScO3 substrate. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we directly visualize an alternating array of clockwise and counterclockwise flux closures, whose periodicity depends on the PbTiO3 film thickness. In the vicinity of the core, the strain is sufficient to rupture the lattice, with strain gradients up to 10(9) per meter. Engineering strain at the nanoscale may facilitate the development of nanoscale ferroelectric devices.
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL), Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL), Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL), Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, 110016 Shenyang, China. xlma@imr.ac.cn.
authors.forename: X L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6071, USA.
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Borisevich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 46 pr. Nauky, 03028 Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Morozovska
authors.affiliation: Institute for Problems of Materials Sciences, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 3 Krjijanovskogo, 03142 Kyiv, Ukraine.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Eliseev
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL), Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL), Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL), Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Y B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (SYNL), Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenhua Road 72, 110016 Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Z D
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2200, USA. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pennycook