Self-Restoration of a Wrinkled Hf<sub>0.5</sub>Zr<sub>0.5</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Ferroelectric Membrane
Ferroelectric oxides are generally prone to brittle deformation, which impedes their applicability in flexible devices. Using a damage-free peel-off process, we successfully synthesized wrinkled 10 nm thick membranes of zirconium-doped hafnium oxide Hf<sub>0.5</sub>Zr<sub>0.5</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (HZO). We studied their self-restoration dynamics via in situ scanning probe microscopy. Substantial deformations were induced as the tip descended by applying and sustaining a predefined static force at the crest of the wrinkled membrane. The membrane was fully restored to its original wrinkled state within a specific force range, with no observed damage after force removal. The membrane demonstrated self-restoration even after forces exceeding 100 nN, which completely collapsed the wrinkles, highlighting the exceptional flexibility of these freestanding HZO membranes─an uncommon property among functional oxides. Combining phase-field simulations, we observed the emergence of a region exhibiting continuous variation in polarization intensity within the strained area. The formation of this specific domain structure plays a pivotal role in the self-restoration behavior of the freestanding ferroelectric membranes. This self-restoration capability is essential for the long-term stability of flexible electronic devices, such as sensors, energy harvesters, and electronic skins.
Authors
- Liqiang He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4407-621X)
- Lei Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8887-5296)
- Yichun Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1321-5687)
- Fan Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2313-5974)
- Nianpeng Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7081-0752)
- Honghong Yao
- Linglong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9345-0892)
- Haoran Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6867-2327)
- Shuai Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6910-6319)
- Junchao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2243-0012)
- Yu Xing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2641-2962)
- Dawei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5096-2046)
- Dong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6009-166X)
- Zhipeng Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4415-7213)
- Xiong Luo
- Lei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2113-4193)
Institutions
- Xidian University (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- Frontier Science Foundation (CH)
- FZU ‒ Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CZ)
- National Laboratory for Superconductivity (CN)
- Institute of Science and Technology
- Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- Published
- 2025-04-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c22859
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Ferroelectric and Negative Capacitance Devices
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.73
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province
- State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities