High piezoelectric property with exceptional stability in self-poled ferroelectric films.

Liu, Lisha; Yi, Jiaojiao; Xu, Kun; Liu, Zhen; Tang, Mingmeng; Dai, Le; Gao, Xuan; Liu, Yang et al. · Nat Commun · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Ferroelectric films are highly sought-after in micro-electro-mechanical systems, particularly with the trend towards miniaturization. However, their tendency to depolarize and degradation in piezoelectric properties when exposed to packaging procedures at temperatures exceeding 260 °C remains a significant challenge. Here, we reveal the prerequisites for self-poling and leverage these insights to achieve unprecedented macroscopic performance through a two-step approach involving texture construction and hierarchical heterogeneity engineering. The significant [001] texture and fine Zr/Ti heterogeneity, facilitated by a PbO-TiO<sub>2</sub> buffer, enable a piezoelectric charge coefficient of 550 pC/N in self-poled Pb(Zr<sub>0.52</sub>Ti<sub>0.48</sub>)O<sub>3</sub> film. This material demonstrates impressive resilience to elevated temperatures up to 300 °C, experiencing less than a 16% degradation in performance. Our approach can be extended to other ferroelectric systems, offering an innovative solution for high-temperature packaging and harsh environments in practical electro-mechanical applications.