Project title: Strain engineering of ferro-/antiferroelectric free-standing membranes
My research focuses on free-standing membranes of ferroelectrics (FEs) and antiferroelectrics (AFEs). Here, we take advantage of the fact that membranes, once declamped from the substrate, are flexible and can be subjected to different, sometimes extreme strain and strain gradient conditions. Due to the electromechanical coupling of strain and polarization in FEs and AFEs, we can induce novel domain structures, phase mixing and modify their switching behavior under electric fields. These investigations will provide deeper insights into the fundamental physics of these materials and advances their potential for applications in energy storage, transistors, neuromorphic memory devices, and flexible electronics.
Start date: 01-01-2026
End date: 31-12-2027