IMF2017

As interfaces that can be displaced in-situ, ferroelectric domain walls are a source of continuous fascination. We have been studying during the past 5 years some of their properties and internal structure and learning how to control domain wall patterns and ultimately functionalize them. Among the obtained results are dense patterns of arrays of domains and domain walls having <10 nm width /periodicity, controlled displacement of domain walls, charged domain walls with metallic conductivity inside the insulating matrix and their controlled creation and density and demonstrated reconfigurability. It has been found also that tailored bent neutral domain walls can be electrically conductive, and this metallic conductivity is sustained to ultra-low temperature (testifying the metallic nature of the conductivity). In addition, we have evidenced ferroelectric boundaries in non-ferroelectric, antiferroelectric materials, evidenced polarization rotation across wide walls, demonstrated ferroelectric switch for propagation of ferromagnetic domain walls at room temperature, and showed the possibility of elastic interaction between non-ferroelastic domain walls, promising new possibilities for domain-wall control.