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- Soft Viscosity Ferroelectric Crystal
Soft Viscosity Ferroelectric Crystal
Development of organic ferroelectrics with freely controllable polarization direction
We have developed a ferroelectric material using deformable flexible crystals. This material can easily be processed in solution and can be stretched under pressure. Unlike conventional organic ferroelectrics, the material can be polarized in three dimensions, so that even discs and thin films of microcrystalline powder exhibit large polarization like single crystals.
Content of research
Ferroelectrics are important electronic materials with a variety of applications, such as non-volatile memories, piezoelectric devices and sensors that take advantage of their diverse functions. Most of the ferroelectrics that have been commercialized so far are inorganic oxides, such as barium titanate, which are known as chitabari in Japan. However, they are difficult to process using the solution method, and many of the useful materials contain toxic lead. Organic ferroelectric crystals, which have been actively developed in recent years, cannot be used in polycrystalline materials because polarization processing that changes the polarization direction in three dimensions is impossible. The flexible ferroelectric crystals we have recently developed can change the polarization direction almost freely, so that the polarization direction of polycrystals in disks and thin films can be aligned to create a polarization state close to that of a single crystal. They can also be stretched and expanded under pressure at high temperatures. In other words, this flexible ferroelectric crystal is a ferroelectric material that combines the advantages of conventional materials such as inorganic oxides, organic crystals and polymers.
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Conceptual diagram of the polarization process of a ferroelectric polycrystal. The area surrounded by the black line shows crystal particles, and the red arrows represent the polarization of each particle.
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Electron micrograph of a pressurized flexible ferroelectric crystal. Only the right half of the single crystal is pressurized.
Potential for social implementation
- ・Organic electronics materials
- ・Ferroelectric nonvolatile memory
- ・Piezoelectric element
- ・Sensor
Appealing points to industry and local governments
The newly developed flexible ferroelectric crystal is a completely new type of ferroelectric material that also exhibits piezoelectricity. The potential value of this material is high, and we are expecting industrial applications in the future. By developing materials that meet the needs of industry through joint research, we hope to develop applications for new functional materials.
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