A Molecular Ferroelectric Showing Room-Temperature Record-Fast Switching of Spontaneous Polarization

摘要

Fast switching of spontaneous polarization (P-s) is one of the most essential requirements for ferroelectrics used in the field of data storage. However, in contrast to inorganic counterparts, the low operating frequency (500Hz) for molecular ferroelectrics severely hinders their large-scale applications. Herein, for the first time, we achieved the room-temperature fastest switching of the P-s in a new molecular ferroelectric, N-methylmorpholinium trinitrophenolate (1), which displays notable ferroelectricity (P-s=3.2ccm(-2)). Strikingly, electric polarizations of 1 have been switched under a record-high frequency of 263kHz, and this performance remains stable without any obvious fatigue after ca. 2x10(5) switching cycles. To our knowledge, 1 is the first organic ferroelectric to switch polarization at such a high operating frequency, exceeding the majority of organic ferroelectrics, which opens up new possibilities for its potential in the field of non-volatile memory.