Observation of one-dimensional, charged domain walls in ferroelectric ZrO2

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zhong, Hai; Wang, Shiyu; Zhang, Qinghua; Liu, Zhuohui; Xie, Donggang; Lu, Jiali; Jin, Shifeng; Zhang, Shufang; Guo, Er-jia; He, Meng; Wang, Can; Gu, Lin; Yang, Guozhen; Jin, Kui-juan; Ge, Chen
• 署名单位: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing Institute of Geology & Paleontology, CAS; Institute of Physics, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Tsinghua University; Tsinghua University
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aeb7280
• 发表日期: 2026-01-22
• 页码: 407-411
• 关键词: conductivity

摘要

Ferroelectric charged domain walls (CDWs) with nanoscale thickness and bound charges are typically viewed as ultrathin, reconfigurable, and highly conductive two-dimensional components for domain wall nanoelectronics. Dimensional confinement of such polar topological structures has the potential to increase device density and unlock novel functionalities. We report 180 degrees head-to-head and tail-to-tail CDWs exhibiting one-dimensional (1D) characteristics. These 1D CDWs are confined within the polar layers of ferroelectric ZrO2 and have atomic-scale dimensions in both width and thickness. Quantitative analysis unveils a distinct screening mechanism of these walls whereby bound polarization charges are compensated by self-balancing oxygen occupancy. We demonstrate electric field-driven manipulation of these 1D CDWs, revealing the microscopic coupling between polarization switching and oxygen-ion transport.