Order-disorder, ferroelasticity and mobility of domain walls in multiferroic Cu-Cl Boracite.
File(s)
Author(s)
Fernandez-Posada, Carmen Maria
Cochard, Charlotte
Gregg, John Martin
Whatmore, Roger W
Carpenter, Michael A
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Domain walls in Cu-Cl boracite develop as a consequence of an improper ferroelastic, improper ferroelectric transition, and have attracted close interest because some are conductive and all can be mechanically written and repositioned by application of an electric field. The phase transition and its associated dynamical properties have been analysed here from the perspective of strain and elasticity. Determination of spontaneous strains from published lattice parameter data has allowed the equilibrium long-range order parameter for F4 ̅3c → Pca21 to be modelled simply as being close to the order-disorder limit. High acoustic loss in the cubic phase, revealed by Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy, is consistent with the presence of dynamical microdomains of the orthorhombic structure with relaxation times in the vicinity of ~10-5-10-6s. Low acoustic loss in the stability field of the orthorhombic structure signifies, on the other hand, that ferroelastic twin walls which develop as a consequence of the order-disorder process are immobile on this time scale. A Debye loss peak accompanied by ~1% elastic stiffening at ~40 K is indicative of some freezing of defects which couple with strain or of some more intrinsic freezing process. The activation energy of ≥~0.01-0.02 eV implies a mechanism which could involve strain relaxation clouds around local ferroelectric dipoles or freezing of polarons that determine the conductivity of twin walls.
Date Issued
2020-11-17
Date Acceptance
2020-11-17
Citation
Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2020, 33 (9), pp.1-11
ISSN
0953-8984
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Start Page
1
End Page
11
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
Volume
33
Issue
9
Copyright Statement
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33202391
Subjects
boracite
conductive domain walls
ferroelastic twin walls
multiferroic
phase transitions
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2020-12-11