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Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

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Liquid-Crystal-Like Dynamic Transition in Ferroelectric-Dielectric Superlattices.

Fernando Gómez-Ortiz¹, Mónica Graf², Javier Junquera¹

¹Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra y Física de la Materia Condensada, <a href="https://ror.org/046ffzj20">Universidad de Cantabria</a>, Avenida de los Castros s/n 39005 Santander, Spain.

Physical Review Letters

|August 23, 2024

Summary

Nanostructured ferroelectrics exhibit mobile polar order upon heating, transitioning through a liquid crystal-like hexatic phase. This intermediate phase shows thermally activated domain reorientation, crucial for understanding ferroelectric material dynamics.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Solid-State Chemistry

Background:

Nanostructured ferroelectrics exhibit complex multidomain configurations influenced by boundary conditions.
Experimental observations often depict ferroelectric domains as static, but theoretical studies suggest mobility upon heating.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the dynamic behavior and phase transitions of nanostructured ferroelectrics upon heating.
To elucidate the melting mechanism of polar order in ferroelectric superlattices.

Main Methods:

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed on model systems, specifically lead titanate/strontium titanate (PbTiO_{3}/SrTiO_{3}) superlattices.
Analysis focused on the loss of translational and orientational order within the multidomain state.

Main Results:

The multidomain state loses translational and orientational orders at distinct temperatures, forming an intermediate hexaticlike phase.
This transition mimics the behavior observed in liquid crystals.
The melting process is thermally activated, with domain reorientation rates increasing significantly (tens of GHz to THz) within a narrow temperature range.

Conclusions:

Nanostructured ferroelectrics can exhibit a liquid crystal-like hexatic phase with mobile polar order.
The observed phase transition and dynamics provide insights into the behavior of ferroelectric materials at the nanoscale.
Understanding these thermally activated dynamics is critical for designing and utilizing advanced ferroelectric devices.