Large piezoelectricity in electric-field modified single crystals of SrTiO3

• DOI: 10.1063/1.4966892
• Publication Date: 2016-11-29T18:00:27Z
• Authors: B. Khanbabaee; E. Mehner; C. Richter; J. Hanzig; M. Zschornak; U. Pietsch; H. Stöcker; T. Leisegang; D. C. Meyer; S. Gorfman
• Keywords: Electrostriction; Electromechanical coupling coefficient; Crystal (programming language)

Defect engineering is an effective and powerful tool to control the existing material properties produce completely new ones, which are symmetry-forbidden in a defect-free crystal. For example, application of static electric field single crystal SrTiO3 forms strained near-surface layer through migration oxygen vacancies out area beneath positively charged electrode. While it was previously shown that this phase holds pyroelectric properties, centrosymmetric bulk SrTiO3, paper reports same strongly piezoelectric. We demonstrate piezoelectricity stroboscopic time-resolved X-ray diffraction under alternating show piezoelectric coefficient d33 ranges between 60 100 pC/N. The possible atomistic origins activity discussed as coupling electrostrictive effect spontaneous polarization phase.