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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe1+YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe₁₊_YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Published on: March 24, 2019

Three-Dimensional Pseudo-Ferroelectric Domain Walls in BiFeO₃: Atomic-Scale Oxygen Octahedral Rotation and Polar

Xiali Liang¹, Jiyang Xie¹, Yu Tan^1,2

¹Yunnan Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Materials and Devices, National Center for International Research on Photoelectric and Energy Materials, School of Materials and Energy, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, P. R. China.

|June 9, 2026

Summary

Researchers discovered novel 3D pseudo-ferroelectric domain walls in bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) thin films. These complex structures, revealed by atomic-resolution STEM, enable new possibilities for reconfigurable domain wall nanoelectronics.

Keywords:

3D domain wall BiFeO3 Ferroelectric polarization Oxygen octahedral rotation STEM

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Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

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Picometer-Precision Atomic Position Tracking through Electron Microscopy

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Published on: July 3, 2021

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Nanotechnology

Background:

Multiferroic order in perovskite thin films arises from coupled polar and magnetic parameters.
Existing theories struggle with the 3D complexity of domain-mediated cross-correlations in these materials.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the 3D structure and properties of domain walls in bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) thin films.
To understand the mechanisms behind noncanonical domain wall formation and their impact on multiferroic order.

Main Methods:

Atomic-resolution High-Angle Annular Dark-Field/In-Column Differential Phase Contrast Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (HAADF/iDPC-STEM) was employed.
Detailed analysis of atomic arrangements and orientations in BiFeO3 thin films.

Main Results:

Discovery of "pseudo-ferroelectric domain walls" with a true 3D orientation of 70.17°, deviating from 2D projections.
Identification of oxygen rearrangement and asymmetric Fe-O coupling as drivers for these noncanonical 3D walls.
Chiral polarization stabilized by ferroelectric, shear, and spin interactions was observed.

Conclusions:

The findings reveal the critical role of 3D structural complexity in multiferroic domain walls.
This work offers a design principle for advanced reconfigurable domain wall nanoelectronic devices.