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Open AccessArticle

Dynamics of Ferroelastic Domain Walls Associated with the Dielectric Relaxation in CsPbCl₃ Single Crystals

by Zijun Yu, Chen Zou and Dexin Yang

Nanomaterials 2026, 16(1), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16010057 - 31 Dec 2025

Cesium lead chloride (CsPbCl₃) is a stable, wide-bandgap perovskite with significant potential for ultraviolet (UV) photodetection and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, the dynamical mechanisms of ferroelastic domain walls associated with the dielectric relaxations in a single-crystal have rarely been reported. In this work, we observed reversible phase transitions from cubic to tetragonal, and further to orthorhombic symmetry, accompanied by the formation and evolution of strip-like ferroelastic domain walls, using in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and dielectric measurements. Notably, the dielectric studies revealed low temperature (~170–180 K) frequency-dependent loss peaks that we attribute to the pinning of polarized domain walls by chloride vacancies. We also found that the formation or disappearance of ferroelastic domain walls near the octahedral tilting transition temperatures leads to pronounced anomalies in the dielectric permittivity. These findings clarify the intrinsic phase behavior of CsPbCl₃ single crystals and underscore the significant contribution of ferroelastic domain walls to its dielectric response, providing insights for optimizing its optoelectronic performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Perovskite Nanostructured Materials for Next-Generation Light-Emitting Devices)

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12 pages, 3622 KB

Open AccessArticle

Competition between Ferroelectric and Ferroelastic Domain Wall Dynamics during Local Switching in Rhombohedral PMN-PT Single Crystals

by Denis Alikin, Anton Turygin, Andrei Ushakov, Mikhail Kosobokov, Yurij Alikin, Qingyuan Hu, Xin Liu, Zhuo Xu, Xiaoyong Wei and Vladimir Shur

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(21), 3912; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12213912 - 6 Nov 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3153

Abstract

The possibility to control the charge, type, and density of domain walls allows properties of ferroelectric materials to be selectively enhanced or reduced. In ferroelectric–ferroelastic materials, two types of domain walls are possible: pure ferroelectric and ferroelastic–ferroelectric. In this paper, we demonstrated a strategy to control the selective ferroelectric or ferroelastic domain wall formation in the (111) single-domain rhombohedral PMN-PT single crystals at the nanoscale by varying the relative humidity level in a scanning probe microscopy chamber. The solution of the corresponding coupled electro-mechanical boundary problem allows explaining observed competition between ferroelastic and ferroelectric domain growth. The reduction in the ferroelastic domain density during local switching at elevated humidity has been attributed to changes in the electric field spatial distribution and screening effectiveness. The established mechanism is important because it reveals a kinetic nature of the final domain patterns in multiaxial materials and thus provides a general pathway to create desirable domain structure in ferroelectric materials for applications in piezoelectric and optical devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Piezoelectric Materials for Applications)

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13 pages, 2975 KB

Open AccessArticle

Monitoring Electrical Biasing of Pb(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ Ferroelectric Thin Films In Situ by DPC-STEM Imaging

by Alexander Vogel, Martin F. Sarott, Marco Campanini, Morgan Trassin and Marta D. Rossell

Materials 2021, 14(16), 4749; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14164749 - 23 Aug 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4869

Abstract

Increased data storage densities are required for the next generation of nonvolatile random access memories and data storage devices based on ferroelectric materials. Yet, with intensified miniaturization, these devices face a loss of their ferroelectric properties. Therefore, a full microscopic understanding of the impact of the nanoscale defects on the ferroelectric switching dynamics is crucial. However, collecting real-time data at the atomic and nanoscale remains very challenging. In this work, we explore the ferroelectric response of a Pb(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ thin film ferroelectric capacitor to electrical biasing in situ in the transmission electron microscope. Using a combination of high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and differential phase contrast (DPC)-STEM imaging we unveil the structural and polarization state of the ferroelectric thin film, integrated into a capacitor architecture, before and during biasing. Thus, we can correlate real-time changes in the DPC signal with the presence of misfit dislocations and ferroelastic domains. A reduction in the domain wall velocity of 24% is measured in defective regions of the film when compared to predominantly defect-free regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials Characterizations Using In-Situ Techniques)

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18 pages, 7525 KB

Open AccessReview

Ferroelastic Twinning in Minerals: A Source of Trace Elements, Conductivity, and Unexpected Piezoelectricity

by Ekhard K. H. Salje

Minerals 2021, 11(5), 478; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11050478 - 30 Apr 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4304

Abstract

Ferroelastic twinning in minerals is a very common phenomenon. The twin laws follow simple symmetry rules and they are observed in minerals, like feldspar, palmierite, leucite, perovskite, and so forth. The major discovery over the last two decades was that the thin areas between the twins yield characteristic physical and chemical properties, but not the twins themselves. Research greatly focusses on these twin walls (or ‘twin boundaries’); therefore, because they possess different crystal structures and generate a large variety of ‘emerging’ properties. Research on wall properties has largely overshadowed research on twin domains. Some wall properties are discussed in this short review, such as their ability for chemical storage, and their structural deformations that generate polarity and piezoelectricity inside the walls, while none of these effects exist in the adjacent domains. Walls contain topological defects, like kinks, and they are strong enough to deform surface regions. These effects have triggered major research initiatives that go well beyond the realm of mineralogy and crystallography. Future work is expected to discover other twin configurations, such as co-elastic twins in quartz and growth twins in other minerals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modularity and Twinning in Mineral Crystal Structures)

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12 pages, 1629 KB

Open AccessReview

Ferroelastic Domain Boundary-Based Multiferroicity

by Ekhard K. H. Salje and Xiangdong Ding

Crystals 2016, 6(12), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst6120163 - 9 Dec 2016

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6232

Abstract

Domain boundary engineering endeavors to develop materials that contain localized functionalities inside domain walls, which do not exist in the bulk. Here we review multiferroic devices that are based on ferroelectricity inside ferroelastic domain boundaries. The discovery of polarity in CaTiO₃ and [...] Read more.

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiferroics Crystals)

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