Knowra Ferroelectricity Ferroelectricity Ferroelectricity is the property of materials that possess spontaneous electric polarization reversible by an applied electric field. It arises from an ordered arrangement of electric dipoles and often changes sharply at a transition temperature.
Electric polarization : The electric dipole moment per unit volume of a material. Ferroelectricity is spontaneous polarization that can be reversed by an electric field.
Electric dipole moment : A measure of the separation of positive and negative electric charge in a system. Aligned dipole moments produce the macroscopic polarization characteristic of a ferroelectric.
Ferroelectric random-access memory : Nonvolatile memory that stores data using the reversible polarization of a ferroelectric material. Its two polarization states encode bits that persist without power.
Paraelectricity : A dielectric state with no spontaneous polarization, though an electric field can induce polarization. Above its transition temperature, a ferroelectric commonly becomes paraelectric.
Barium titanate : A perovskite oxide and widely studied ferroelectric whose polarization arises from off-center ionic displacements. It is a classic example of a ferroelectric with a temperature-dependent sequence of crystal phases.
Electric hysteresis : A history-dependent response in which a system’s output lags behind changes in its input. A polarization-versus-field loop records switching and remanent polarization.
Crystal structure : The periodic arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline solid. Atomic positions and symmetry determine whether a crystal can sustain a polar state.
Piezoelectricity : The generation of electric charge under mechanical stress, and mechanical strain under an electric field. Ferroelectric materials are commonly piezoelectric, enabling sensing and actuation.
Antiferroelectricity : An ordered state in which neighboring electric dipoles align oppositely, producing little or no net polarization. Unlike ferroelectric order, its antiparallel dipoles cancel until a sufficiently strong field may switch the state.
Lead zirconate titanate : A lead-based perovskite solid solution, commonly called PZT, used for strong piezoelectric and ferroelectric responses. Its composition-dependent properties made it a major material for transducers and actuators.
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