Ferroelectrics as Smart Mechanical Materials

• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201702210
• Publication Date: 2017-07-21T08:29:43Z
• Authors: Kumara Cordero‐Ed...; Neus Domingo; Amir Abdollahi; Jordi Sort; Gustau Catalan
• Keywords: Flexoelectricity; Indentation; Piezoresponse force microscopy; Smart material

The mechanical properties of materials are insensitive to space inversion, even when they crystallographically asymmetric. In practice, this means that turning a piezoelectric crystal upside down or switching the polarization ferroelectric should not change its response. Strain gradients, however, introduce an additional source asymmetry has consequences. Using nanoindentation and contact-resonance force microscopy, study demonstrates response indentation uniaxial (LiNbO3 ) does polarity is switched, use both quantify flexoelectricity mechanically read sign domains.