L.M. Blinova,
V.M. Fridkina,
S.P. Paltoa,
A.V. Buneb,
P.A. Dowbenb,
S. Ducharmeb aFederal Scientific Research Center "Crystallography and Photonics", Russian Academy of Sciences, Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii prosp. 59, Moscow, 119333, Russian Federaion bDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Behlen Laboratory of Physics, Center for Materials Research and Analysis, University of Nebraska-Linkoln, Linkoln, NE, USA
The investigation of the finite-size effect in ferroelectric crystals and films has been limited by the experimental conditions. The smallest demonstrated ferroelectric crystals had a diameter of ~200 Å and the thinnest ferroelectric films were ~200 Å thick, macroscopic sizes on an atomic scale. Langmuir-Blodgett deposition of films one monolayer at a time has produced high quality ferroelectric films as thin as 10 Å, made from polyvinylidene fluoride and its copolymers. These ultrathin films permitted the ultimate investigation of finite-size effects on the atomic thickness scale. Langmuir-Blodgett films also revealed the fundamental two-dimensional character of ferroelectricity in these materials by demonstrating that there is no so-called critical thickness; films as thin as two monolayers (1 nm) are ferroelectric, with a transition temperature near that of the bulk material. The films exhibit all the main properties of ferroelectricity with a first-order ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition: polarization hysteresis (switching); the jump in spontaneous polarization at the phase transition temperature; thermal hysteresis in the polarization; the increase in the transition temperature with applied field; double hysteresis above the phase transition temperature; and the existence of the ferroelectric critical point. The films also exhibit a new phase transition associated with the two-dimensional layers.
PACS:75.70.−i, 77.80.−e (all) DOI:10.1070/PU2000v043n03ABEH000639 URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2000/3/b/ 000087162100002 Citation: Blinov L M, Fridkin V M, Palto S P, Bune A V, Dowben P A, Ducharme S "Two-dimensional ferroelectrics" Phys. Usp.43 243–257 (2000)
TY JOUR
TI Two-dimensional ferroelectrics
AU Blinov, L. M.
AU Fridkin, V. M.
AU Palto, S. P.
AU Bune, A. V.
AU Dowben, P. A.
AU Ducharme, S.
PB Physics-Uspekhi
PY 2000
JO Physics-Uspekhi
JF Physics-Uspekhi
JA Phys. Usp.
VL 43
IS 3
SP 243-257
UR https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2000/3/b/
ER https://doi.org/10.1070/PU2000v043n03ABEH000639