Evolution of domain walls in ferroelectric solids

• Published in: Journal of the mechanics and physics of solids Vol. 49; no. 8; pp. 1701 - 1726
• Main Authors: Davı́, Fabrizio, Mariano, Paolo Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Configurational forces; Continua with microstructure; Domain effects, magnetization curves, and hysteresis; Domain walls and domain structure; Electroelasticity; Exact sciences and technology; Ferroelectric solids; Ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and ferrimagnetic resonances; spin-wave resonance; Magnetic properties and materials; Magnetic resonances and relaxations in condensed matter, mössbauer effect; Multifield theories; Physics; 74N30; 74A60; Multifield theories; 74F15; Ferroelectric solids; Continua with microstructure; Configurational forces; Electroelasticity; Constitutive equation; Multifield theory; Ferroelectricity; Domain walls; Barium titanates; Modelling; Microstructure; Electromechanical properties
• ISSN: 0022-5096
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-5096(01)00014-X

The evolution of domain walls in ferroelectrics is analyzed. The placement field and the polarization vector field accounting for the microstructure of ferroelectric domains describe the body. Measures of interaction are associated to the polarization field. They have electromechanical nature and are balanced by appropriate equations. The deduction of the evolution equations for strongly anisotropic domain walls and corners (junctions among domain walls) is the main result of this paper. The model is applied to typical cases and the explicit solutions obtained fit the available experimental results on Barium Titanate. An analogous agreement is found also at the junctions.