This project aims to investigate the dynamical field-dependent structural responses of ferroelectric materials under mechanical and electrical excitations at different temperatures using in-situ transmission electron microscopy.
Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
Masters/PHD
Ferroelectric materials exhibit intrinsic coupling of spontaneous polarization and strain. They have significant applications as critical components in next-generation logical devices, non-volatile memories, actuators and sensors. The reliability and functionality of these devices depend strongly on their field-dependent dynamic of ferroelectric/ferroelastic domain switching. Recent researches have revealed different responses of ferroelectric/ferroelastic domain switching by varying temperature, electrical bias and/or mechanical stresses. The combination of these excitations adds one or more degrees of freedoms for domain switching and therefore provides an appealing possibility for improving extensively ferroelectric device performance. However, little has been known on the mechanism and dynamic of domain switching under combined external stimulations due to the lack of appropriate experimental tools. This project aims to apply advanced in-situ transmission electron microscopy techniques to conduct nano-compression/tensile experiments combined with electric field and heating to understand the details of field-dependent domain switching processes.
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 2045