Piezoelectric response around ferroelectric domain walls in crystals with engineered domain configuration

We report investigation of the piezoelectric response on a nanoscale in poled ferroelectric crystals with engineered domain configuration. Piezoresponse force microscopy of the (111) surface of a ($⟨111⟩$-poled) tetragonal $0.63\text{Pb}({\text{Mg}}_{1/3}{\text{Nb}}_{2/3}){\text{O}}_{3}\text{\ensuremath{-}}0.37{\text{PbTiO}}_{3}$ piezoelectric/ferroelectric crystal revealed that the piezoelectric coefficient ${d}_{33}$ is significantly reduced within the distance of $\ensuremath{\sim}1\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$ from the uncharged engineered domain walls. This finding is essential for understanding the mechanisms of the giant piezoresponse in relaxor-based crystals and for designing high-performance piezoelectric materials.