Preface

Ferroelectricity is a well-known phenomenon commonly used in scientific and industrial communities. Ferroelectrics are spontaneously polarized materials that exhibit a range of properties and applications. Such materials are classified based on their behaviour, properties, functions, and applications.

New ferroelectrics and hybrid structures are developed using different synthesis and fabrication techniques. Different phenomena and interesting properties are studied theoretically and experimentally using advanced characterization techniques. Ferroelectric materials are the building blocks of different devices and technological innovations.

This book presents an overview of the basic phenomenon of ferroelectricity as well as different ferroelectrics and ferroelectric devices, including their theoretical study, synthesis, characterization, and application. It provides information for students, researchers, and professionals. It addresses scientific advances in the field of ferroelectricity for the study of next-generation devices. Understanding the fundamentals of ferroelectrics and their related properties such as size effects, phase transition, and symmetry can give new and fascinating physics for the development of new exotic materials.

This book contains eight chapters presenting some of the most exciting theoretical concepts and developments of ferroelectric materials. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce ferroelectrics and the basic properties of ferroelectric materials. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with different types of ferroelectrics such as perovskite ferroelectrics and relaxor ferroelectrics. Chapter 5 examines piezoelectricity and its application. Chapters 6–8 discuss the properties and basic performance of ferroelectric materials. These chapters explain the fundamentals as well as present research on ferroelectric materials for technological innovation.

I would like to thank the chapter authors for their expert contributions. I would also like to thank the staff at IntechOpen who helped throughout the preparation and publication of this book.

> **Dipti Ranjan Sahu** Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia

**1**

**Chapter 1**

*Dipti Ranjan Sahu*

**1. Introduction**

Introductory Chapter: Basics

Materials for Applications

**1.1 Definition of ferroelectrics and its basics**

of application in different devices.

direction with an applied electric field.

configuration on the B-site cation [8].

*-ness"*

as follows:

*1.1.1 Symmetry*

electric polarization [8]. *1.1.2 Electrical properties*

*1.1.3 Chemistry of "d0*

and Importance of Ferroelectric

Multifunctional advanced materials are the building block of new device for different application. In recent years research on different fields ranging from cross disciplinarity to multidisciplinary fields including nanotechnology, materials science, physical and biological, increases rapidly based on the growth and development off new and novel materials. Concept of designing and fabricating new and exotic multifunctional materials relating to electronic, spintronics and magnetoelectric dated back to the original work [1, 2] of James Clerks Maxwell (1865) and M. Curie (1894). Among these materials, ferroelectric materials have got its own special technological status for its intriguing properties due to charge and exploiting the coupling of charge with other basic material parameter through electric and magnetic field which make these materials very much promising for future generation devices based on electronics, photonics, opto-electronics and spintronics, etc.

Ferroelectrics are known by its stable polarization state [3, 4]. There is a hysteresis effect associated with ferroelectric materials [5–7]. Different type of interactions between electrical, thermal and mechanical properties shown by ferroelectric materials has wealth of functionalities. Ferroelectric materials behavior and properties changes with temperature, electric field, pressure, strain, etc. which make variety

In addition, some basic requirements of a ferroelectric materials are enumerated

Ferroelectricity requires the condition of non-centro symmetric and allows an

Ferroelectrics shows spontaneous electric polarization, which can switch

The ferroelectric materials with ABO3-type perovskite structure have d0

' electron
