Strain dependence of the Bloch domain component in 180${}^{\circ }$ domains in bulk PbTiO${}_3$ from first-principles

Abstract

We investigate the emergence of Bloch-type polarization components in 180${}^{\circ }$ ferroelectric domain walls in bulk PbTiO${}_3$ under varying mechanical boundary conditions, using first-principles simulations based on density functional theory. A spontaneous Bloch component$-$primarily associated with Pb displacements confined within the PbO domain wall plane$-$condense under realistic strain conditions on top of the Ising-type domain walls. The amplitude and energetic stabilization of this component are highly sensitive to the in-plane lattice parameters. In particular, tensile strains akin to those imposed by DyScO${}_3$ substrates enhance the Bloch component and lead to energy reductions as large as 10.7 mJ/m${}^2$ (10.6 meV/$\square$) with respect to the most stable structure including only Ising and Néel components. We identify a relatively flat energy landscape for the Bloch polarization, highlighting the tunability of chiral textures through strain engineering. Our results offer a predictive framework for estimating the strain-dependent onset temperature of Bloch-type domain wall components and provide insight into the design of topologically nontrivial and chiral polar structures in ferroelectrics.

12 pages, 4 figures

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Cited by in corpus (1)

• Ferroelectric Properties and Topological Polar Textures of PbTiO${}_3$ from a Second-Principles Open-Source Interatomic Potential