title: Giant electric-field-induced strain in lead-free piezoelectric materials.
abstract: First-principles calculations are performed to investigate the structures, electrical, and magnetic properties of compressive BiFeO3 films under electric-field and pressure perpendicular to the films. A reversible electric-field-induced strain up 10% is achieved in the compressive BiFeO3 films. The giant strain originates from rhombohedral-tetragonal (R-T) phase transition under electric-filed, and is recoverable from tetragonal-rhombohedral (T-R) phase transition by compressive stress. Additionally, the weak ferromagnetism in BiFeO3 films is largely changed in R-T phase transition under electric-filed and T-R phase transition under pressure - reminiscent of magnetoelectric effect and magnetoelastic effect. These results suggest exciting device opportunities arising from the giant filed-induced strain, large magnetoelectric effect and magnetoelastic effect.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Engineering, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA.
authors.forename: Yurong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Engineering, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: X K
authors.initials: XK
authors.lastname: Meng