Observation of Vortex Domains in a Two-Dimensional Lead Iodide Perovskite Ferroelectric

• Published in: Journal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 142; no. 10; pp. 4925 - 4931
• Main Authors: Zhang, Han-Yue, Song, Xian-Jiang, Chen, Xiao-Gang, Zhang, Zhi-Xu, You, Yu-Meng, Tang, Yuan-Yuan, Xiong, Ren-Gen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 11.03.2020
• Subjects: acoustics; barium titanate; biomechanics; iodides; magnetism; mechanical properties; oxides
• ISSN: 0002-7863; 1520-5126; 1520-5126
• DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c00371

Topological defects, such as vortices and skyrmions, provide a wealth of splendid possibilities for new nanoscale devices because of their marvelous electronic, magnetic, and mechanical behaviors. Recently, great advances have been made in the study of the ferroelectric vortex in conventional perovskite oxides, such as BaTiO3 and BiFeO3. Despite extensive interest, however, no intriguing ferroelectric vortex structures have yet been found in organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs), which are desirable for their mechanical flexibility, ease of fabrication, and low acoustical impedance. We observed the robust vortex–antivortex topological configurations in a two-dimensional (2D) layered OIHP ferroelectric (4,4-DFPD)2PbI4 (4,4-DFPD is 4,4-di­fluoro­piper­idinium). This provides future directions for the study of perovskites and makes it a promising alternative for nanoscale ferroelectric devices in medical, micromechanical, and biomechanical applications.