Fingerprints of relaxor ferroelectrics: Characteristic hierarchical domain configurations and quantitative performances

Abstract Ferroelectrics’ structure-property relationships are of guiding significance in high-performance material designing and usually clarified from the aspect of symmetries, which is arduous and costly. On the principle of convenience, here, the concept that domains can provide a brandnew nondestructive and fast way for this relationship clarification is demonstrated. Utilizing scanning probe microscopy, quantitative original local elastic/piezoelectric/ferroelectric performances of various characteristic domain configurations are directly investigated in relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 single crystals. Among them, the polygonal lamellar domains with coexistence of straight c, a and c/a walls in the at-morphotropic phase boundary composition, own high surface effective Young's modulus (average values close to 160 GPa), strong original average local piezoresponse (8.5 pm) and effective longitudinal piezoelectric response (d33, 14 pm V−1), together with ease of electrical switching. Low free energy barrier and strong piezoelectric anisotropy contribute intrinsically to these better functionalities. Higher and easier domain wall motion, larger ratio of c+/c− domains, and larger depolarization and elastic energies stemmed from larger domain width/size act as extrinsic factors. These results help to understand relaxor ferroelectrics comprehensively and provide a reference of domain-based structure selection for better material design.