Ferroelectric Domain and Switching Dynamics in Curved In2Se3: First Principle and Deep Learning Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Abstract

Complex strain status can exist in 2D materials during their synthesis process, resulting in significant impacts on the physical and chemical properties. Despite their prevalence in experiments, their influence on the material properties and the corresponding mechanism are often understudied due to the lack of effective simulation methods. In this work, we investigated the effects of bending, rippling, and bubbling on the ferroelectric domains in In2Se3 monolayer by density functional theory (DFT) and deep learning molecular dynamics (DLMD) simulations. The analysis of the tube model shows that bending deformation imparts asymmetry into the system, and the polarization direction tends to orient towards the tensile side, which has a lower energy state than the opposite polarization direction. The energy barrier for polarization switching can be reduced by compressive strain according DFT results. The dynamics of the polarization switching is investigated by the DLMD simulations. The influence of curvature and temperature on the switching time follows the Arrhenius-style function. For the complex strain status in the rippling and bubbling model, the lifetime of the local transient polarization is analyzed by the autocorrelation function, and the size of the stable polarization domain is identified. Local curvature and temperature can influence the local polarization dynamics following the proposed Arrhenius-style equation. Through cross-scale simulations, this study demonstrates the capability of deep-learning potentials in simulating polarization for ferroelectric materials. It further reveals the potential to manipulate local polarization in ferroelectric materials through strain engineering.