On the Manipulation of Ferroelectric and Ferroelastic Domains at the Nanoscale

The distribution and evolution of ferroelectric and ferroelastic nanodomains in a polycrystalline (001)-oriented thin film of the simple multiferroic PbZr0.3Ti0.7O3 (PZT) are presented. With an external electric field applied between the probe tip and the PZT sample, ferroelastic domains were switched by rotating both in and out of plane, with partial conversion from a-oriented regions to c-oriented regions. After multiple such cycles, grains were observed to buckle as a direct consequence of the lateral size change arising from the conversion towards complete c-orientation. The factors determining the measured deflection of the cantilever in piezoresponse force microscopy were explored, highlighting the conditions under which quantitative or qualitative information may be obtained.