%0 Journal Article
%A Zhang, J.
%A Wang, Y.-J.
%A Liu, J.
%A Xu, J.
%A Wang, D.
%A Wang, L.
%A Ma, X.-L.
%A Jia, C.-L.
%A Bellaiche, L.
%T Origin of sawtooth domain walls in ferroelectrics
%J Physical review / B
%V 101
%N 6
%@ 2469-9950
%C Woodbury, NY
%I Inst.
%M FZJ-2020-02723
%P 060103
%D 2020
%X Domains and domain walls are among the key factors that determine the performance of ferroelectric materials. In recent years, a unique type of domain walls, i.e., the sawtooth-shaped domain walls, has been observed in BiFeO3 and PbTiO3. Here, we build a minimal model to reveal the origin of these sawtooth-shaped domain walls. Incorporating this model into Monte Carlo simulations shows that (i) the competition between the long-range Coulomb interaction (due to bound charges) and short-range interaction (due to opposite dipoles) is responsible for the formation of these peculiar domain walls and (ii) their relative strength is critical in determining the periodicity of these sawtooth-shaped domain walls. Necessary conditions to form such domain walls are also discussed.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000515628700001
%R 10.1103/PhysRevB.101.060103
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/878254