Apr 06, 2012

Prof. Gustau Catalan coauthor of the Science publication: "Mechanical Writing of Ferroelectric Polarization". H. Lu, C.-W. Bark, D. Esque de los Ojos, J. Alcala, C. B. Eom, G. Catalan, A. Gruverman

Ferroelectric materials are characterized by a permanent electric dipole that can be reversed through the application of an external voltage, but a strong intrinsic coupling between polarization and deformation also causes all ferroelectrics to be piezoelectric, leading to applications in sensors and high-displacement actuators. A less explored property is flexoelectricity, the coupling between polarization and a strain gradient. We demonstrate that the stress gradient generated by the tip of an atomic force microscope can mechanically switch the polarization in the nanoscale volume of a ferroelectric film. Pure mechanical force can therefore be used as a dynamic tool for polarization control and may enable applications in which memory bits are written mechanically and read electrically.

 

BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17628145

 

 

 

+ Interview for Science Press + DOI: 10.1126/science.1218693