Atomic Layer Engineering of Ferroelectricity in Dion–Jacobson Perovskites

• DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c09214
• Publication Date: 2024-08-26T12:21:31Z
• Authors: Shu Morita; Daisuke Urushihara; Keita Nishibashi; Makoto Kobayashi; Eisuke Yamamoto; Toru Asaka; Hiroshi Nakajima; Shigeo Mori; Minoru Osada

Recent advances in "hybrid-improper" ferroelectricity in Dion-Jacobson (DJ)-type layered perovskites have caused renewed interest in the search for new ferroelectrics. Here, we present an approach for the tailored synthesis of a new homologous series of DJ-type layered perovskites Cs(Bi2Srn-3)(Tin-1Nb)O3n+1. Starting from CsBi2Ti2NbO10 (n = 3), higher-order homologous phases with n = 4 and 5 were successfully synthesized by repeated solid-state calcination with SrTiO3. Characterizations by X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman scattering, and second harmonic generation showed the detailed structural features in Cs(Bi2Srn-3)(Tin-1Nb)O3n+1, and the polar structures could be stabilized by proper or hybrid-improper ferroelectricity, depending on the odd or even number of the perovskite layers. Our results provide important insights into the competition between the different mechanisms and the consequences of the ferroelectric properties in homologous layered perovskites.