Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026

Seedless Growth of Bismuth Nanowire Array via Vacuum Thermal Evaporation
Published on: December 21, 2015
Ferroelectricity in layered bismuth oxide down to 1 nanometer
Qianqian Yang1, Jingcong Hu2, Yue-Wen Fang3,4
1Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Materials and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Researchers developed an ultrathin bismuth oxide film, stabilized by samarium, that maintains ferroelectric properties down to 1 nanometer. This breakthrough enables atomic-scale electronics like transistors and memory devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Atomic-scale ferroelectric materials are crucial for next-generation high-density electronics.
- Existing ferroelectric materials face challenges in scaling down to nanometer thicknesses.
- Applications include field-effect transistors, low-power logic, and nonvolatile memories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an ultrathin ferroelectric film with enhanced stability.
- To explore the potential of bismuth oxide-based materials for nanoscale electronics.
- To achieve ferroelectric properties at the 1-nanometer scale.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of layered bismuth oxide films using cost-effective chemical solution deposition.
- Stabilization of the ferroelectric state using samarium bondage.
- Characterization of ferroelectric properties via hysteresis loops.
- Structural verification using first-principles calculations.
Main Results:
- Successfully stabilized ferroelectric state in bismuth oxide films down to 1 nanometer thickness.
- Observed standard ferroelectric hysteresis loops at ~1 nanometer.
- Thin films (1–4.56 nm) exhibited significant remanent polarization (17–50 µC/cm²).
- First-principles calculations confirmed the lone pair-driven ferroelectric nature.
Conclusions:
- The developed ultrathin ferroelectric film demonstrates remarkable stability and performance at the atomic scale.
- Samarium-bonded bismuth oxide offers a promising material for fabricating advanced nanoscale electronic devices.
- This structural design approach holds significant potential for the future of atomic-scale electronics manufacturing.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
Fermi Level Dynamics
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
The Electrical Double Layer
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles

