Observation of Néel‐Skyrmions in Bilayered Oxide Ferroelectrics
Skyrmions in ferromagnetic materials exhibit either Néel or Bloch characteristics. Although skyrmions in ferromagnetic materials can be readily obtained via inter-spin interactions, a skyrmion in ferroelectric materials exhibiting solely Néel or Bloch characteristics has not yet been discovered. Here, by modulating the formation of skyrmion-bubbles in [(PbTiO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>n</sub>/(SrTiO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>n</sub>]<sub>1</sub> [(PTO<sub>n</sub>/STO<sub>n</sub>)<sub>1</sub>] bilayers grown on STO substrates, the atomic morphology of pure Néel-skyrmion is observed with a topological charge of ± 1 in the ultrathin bilayered films with the thickness of 2 unit cells (u.c.). Such a pure Néel-skyrmion is confirmed by a combination of atomic mappings, geometric phase analysis, and X-ray 3D reciprocal space mapping (RSM). It is found that decreasing the thickness of bilayered films from 50 to 2 u.c., the characteristics of skyrmion-bubbles exhibiting both Néel and Bloch features disappear along with the Bloch features. The formation mechanism of the Néel-skyrmions is unveiled using Phase-field simulations, showing the critical role of electric and gradient energy variation in the stable phase of Néel-skyrmions. These nanoscale pure Néel-skyrmions represent the electrical equivalents of their magnetic counterparts, extending the size limits of topological phases and offering potential advancements in the field of ferroelectric physics.
Authors
- Shuaishuai Yin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8246-4926)
- Kefan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6162-2095)
- Yun‐Long Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6555-3296)
- Yin‐Lian Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0356-3306)
- Feng‐Hui Gong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0853-0992)
- Zijian Hong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3491-0884)
- Xiaolong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1674-9345)
- Yuting Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3852-8532)
- Xiaoxi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5917-5495)
- Xiuliang Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7143-2044)
- Yujia Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8434-4801)
Institutions
- Hunan University of Science and Technology (CN)
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Lanzhou University of Technology (CN)
- ShanghaiTech University (CN)
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN)
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory (CN)
- Institute of Physics (CN)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Materials
- Published
- 2025-06-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202501411
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Multiferroics and related materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.28
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
- National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province