Ferroelectric and ferroelastic domain wall motion in unconstrained Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 microtubes and thin films

Ferroelectric polarization switching of high aspect ratio (>80:1) PbZr
_0.52
Ti
_0.48
O
₃
(PZT) microtubes with a wall thickness of ~200 nm was investigated. A charge-based technique was used to assess the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of individual mechanically-unconstrained PZT microtubes with interdigitated electrodes. An enhancement in the degree of ferroelastic (non-180°) domain wall motion was observed in the tubes relative to films of similar thickness on rigid substrates. The dielectric response of the tubes showed a Rayleigh-like ac field dependence over a wide temperature range; the extent of the extrinsic contribution to the dielectric response dropped as the temperature approached 10K, but remained finite. This work demonstrates a general methodology for directly electrically addressing small, unconstrained ferroelectric devices, extending the range of driving fields and temperatures over which these materials can be probed.