Ferroelectric Materials and Thin Films: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 2
Special Issue Editors
Interests: dielectrics and ferroelectrics; dielectric capacitors; defects; photovoltaic films; energy storage materials; ultrafast laser spectroscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: electronic thin film materials (dielectric, ferroelectric/piezoelectric, multiferroic, etc.) and high performance coatings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Ferroelectric and dielectric materials continue to attract significant research interests due to their multifunctionality, scalability, and potential for integrated applications in microelectronic, electromechanical, and photonic systems. This Special Issue focuses on recent developments in thin film ferroelectrics and dielectric ceramics, emphasizing structure–property relationships, domain dynamics, and emerging device functionalities.
The Special Issue encompasses a wide range of materials, including linear dielectrics, paraelectrics, ferroelectrics, relaxor ferroelectrics, anti-ferroelectrics, and superparaelectrics. Particular attention is given to the roles of multipolar domain configurations and nanoscale domain interactions in controlling dielectric, ferroelectric, and electromechanical responses. These aspects are critical for optimizing polarization switching behavior, reducing hysteresis, and enhancing tunability.
Recent advances in film deposition techniques, such as pulsed laser deposition (PLD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), have enabled the precise control over crystallinity, orientation, and interface quality. Complementary developments in nanoscale characterization methods (e.g., PFM, STM, TEM, SHG) are providing new insights into local structures and domain evolution.
Contributions in this Special Issue highlight both fundamental studies and application-driven research, including integration with semiconductor platforms, the exploration of 2D ferroelectrics, and environmentally benign lead-free compositions. Together, these works reflect the ongoing progress and future directions in ferroelectric thin film science and technology.
Prof. Dr. Yuhang Ren
Guest Editor
Dr. Jun Ouyang
Co-Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- ferroelectric thin films
- dielectric materials
- 2D ferroelectrics
- domain engineering
- structural evolution
- piezoelectrics
- polymorphic phase boundaries
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
