title: Polarization loss in the organic ferroelectric trialkylbenzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA).
abstract: We investigate the polarization loss in the archetypical molecular organic ferroelectric trialkylbenzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (BTA). We prove that the polarization loss is due to thermally activated R-relaxation, which is a collective reversal of the amide dipole moments in ferroelectric domains. By applying a weak electrostatic field both the polarization loss and the R-relaxation are suppressed, leading to an enhancement of the retention time by at least several orders of magnitude. Alternative loss mechanisms are discussed and ruled out. By operating the thin-film devices slightly above the crystalline to liquid crystalline phase transition temperature the retention time of one compound becomes more than 12 hours even in absence of supportive bias, which is among the longest reported so far for organic ferroelectric materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Gorbunov
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Complex Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden. martijn.kemerink@liu.se.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Urbanaviciute
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Laboratory for Soft Matter and Biophysics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Putzeys
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Laboratory for Soft Matter and Biophysics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4030-3925
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wübbenhorst
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R P
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4048-9712
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Sijbesma
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Complex Materials and Devices, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden. martijn.kemerink@liu.se.
authors.forename: M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7104-7127
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kemerink