arXiv subjects

Jose Manuel Caicedo Roque

Publications and source records attributed to Jose Manuel Caicedo Roque.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Polarization Vortices in a Ferromagnetic Metal via Twistronics

Recent advances in moire engineering provide new pathways for manipulating lattice distortions and electronic properties in low-dimensional materials. Here, we demonstrate that twisted stacking can induce dipolar vortices in metallic SrRuO3 membranes, despite the presence of free charges that would normally screen depolarizing fields and dipole-dipole interactions. These polarization vortices are correlated with moire-periodic flexoelectricity induced by shear strain gradients, and exhibit a pronounced dependence on the twist angle. In addition, multiferroic behavior emerges below the ferromagnetic Curie temperature of the films, whereby polarization and ferromagnetism coexist and compete, showing opposite twist-angle dependencies of their respective magnitudes. Density functional theory calculations provide insights into the microscopic origin of these observations. Our findings extend the scope of polarization topology design beyond dielectric materials and into metals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Domain-induced control of latent heat in freestanding BaTiO$_3$ membranes

Thin ferroelectric BaTiO$_3$ films often exhibit continuous transitions instead of the first-order behavior of bulk crystals, a discrepancy usually attributed to epitaxial strain or dimensionality. Using quasi-adiabatic nanocalorimetry on freestanding BaTiO$_3$ membranes-free of clamping and substrate heat sinking-we show that domain morphology, not thickness or boundary conditions, controls the transition order. Thick membranes with large, monodomain-like regions display clear latent heat, whereas thinner membranes with dense 180$^{\circ}$ domain patterns show a continuous transition despite undergoing the same tetragonal-cubic structural change confirmed by x-ray diffraction. Piezoresponse force microscopy links this behavior to domain-size evolution, and a Ginzburg-Landau analysis demonstrates how reduced domain size lowers the free-energy barrier, rounding a nominally first-order instability. These results identify domain morphology as the key determinant of ferroelectric transition order in oxide membranes and establish design guidelines for enhancing caloric effects through domain engineering.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Coexistence of ferroelectric and ferrielectric phases in ultrathin antiferroelectric PbZrO3 thin films

Whereas ferroelectricity may vanish in ultra-thin ferroelectric films, it is expected to emerge in ultra-thin anti-ferroelectric films, sparking people's interest in using antiferroelectric materials as an alternative to ferroelectric ones for high-density data storage applications. Lead Zirconate (PbZrO3) is considered the prototype material for antiferroelectricity, and indeed previous studies indicated that nanoscale PbZrO3 films exhibit ferroelectricity. The understanding of such phenomena from the microstructure aspect is crucial but still lacking. In this study, we fabricated a PbZrO3 film with thicknesses varying from 5 nm to 80 nm. Using Piezoresponse Force Microscopy, we discovered the film displayed a transition from antiferroelectric behaviour in the thicker areas to ferroelectric behaviour in the thinner ones, with a critical thickness between 10 and 15 nm. In this critical thickness range, a 12 nm PZO thin film was chosen for further study using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. The investigation showed that the film comprises both ferroelectric and ferrielectric phases. The ferroelectric phase is characterized by polarisation along the pseudocubic [011] projection direction. The positions of Pb, Zr, and O were determined using the integrated differential phase contrast method. This allowed us to ascertain that the ferroelectric PbZrO3 unit cell is half the size of that in the antiferroelectric phase on the ab plane. The observed unit cell is different from the electric field-induced ferroelectric rhombohedral phases. Additionally, we identified a ferrielectric phase with a unique up-up-zero-zero dipole configuration. The finding is crucial for understanding the performance of ultrathin antiferroelectric thin films and the subsequent design and development of antiferroelectric devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Switching dynamics and improved efficiency of free-standing antiferroelectric capacitors

We report the switching dynamics of antiferroelectric Lead Zirconate (PbZrO3) free standing capacitors compared to their epitaxial counterparts. Frequency dependence of hysteresis indicates that freestanding capacitors exhibit a lower dispersion of switching fields, lower residual polarization, and faster switching response as compared to epitaxially-clamped capacitors. As a consequence, freestanding capacitor membranes exhibit better energy storage density and efficiency.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗