Electric field-induced switching of nanometer-sized twin related domains in 0.91Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O-3-0.09PbTiO(3) single crystal near a morphotropic phase boundary composition

摘要

Electric field-induced switching of nanometer-sized twin related domains were investigated in rhombohedral (R), tetragonal (T) and monoclinic (M) phases in 0.91Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O-3-0.09PbTiO(3) single crystal by means of scanning force microscopy in piezoresponse mode. Their domain sizes in R, T and M phases were found to be 10-100, similar to 200 and 100-300 nm length, respectively. The nucleation and growth in domain switching on the (001)(cub) surface in R and M phases was found to be prominent in the forward direction rather than in the sideways direction with increasing ac electric field applied along (001)(cub) direction, providing the enhanced piezoelectric properties on (001)(cub) surface. On the other hand, in case of (001)(cub) surface in R phase, electric field-induced domain switching was found to be prominent in the sideways direction, similarly to normal ferroelectric domain switching.