Investigating structure and chemistry in functional ferroelectric ceramics via transmission electron microscopy

The search for such a replacement has been driven by the threat of EU regulations regarding the use of lead-based materials in devices, owing to its environmental toxicity. The second system is the improper ferroelectric, CsNbW2O9, which has been studied for its potential application in the field of domain wall nanoelectronics. This field has developed as a result of the discovery of conducting domain walls in certain ferroelectric systems.

The flexibility of domain walls under externally applied fields, in tandem with their minute size, opens the door for a whole new design of miniaturised, reconfigurable electronics, in which electrical interconnects, or even devices themselves, are constructed from conducting domain walls. Although in the early stages of research, this may provide a viable route to continue device miniaturisation in accordance with Moore’s law; a problem which has received much attention as current technology approaches fundamental limits, which may only be surpassed with a new paradigm of electronics design.