Giant Flexoelectric Effect in Ferroelectric Epitaxial Thin Films
Giant Flexoelectric Effect in Ferroelectric Epitaxial Thin Films
We report on nanoscale strain gradients in ferroelectric HoMnO(3) epitaxial thin films, resulting in a giant flexoelectric effect. Using grazing-incidence in-plane x-ray diffraction, we measured strain gradients in the films, which were 6 or 7 orders of magnitude larger than typical values reported for bulk oxides. The combination of transmission …