Atomic Force Microscopy Observation of Ferroelastic Domain Boundary in GdP5O14

• Published in: Journal of the Physical Society of Japan Vol. 63; no. 7; p. 2477
• Main Authors: Takei, Iwao, Kobayashi, Tadashi, Nakamura, Shizuo, Yamana, Kazuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo The Physical Society of Japan 1994
• ISSN: 0031-9015; 1347-4073
• DOI: 10.1143/JPSJ.63.2477

The surface structure of GdP5O14 (gadolinium pentaphosphate) with a ferroelastic domain boundary is investigated by AFM (atomic force microscopy) at room temperature in air. The AFM data are obtained for a 1500-nm-square area (400× 400 data points) on the (100) surface of the sample. The domain boundary is observed as a zigzag pattern about 300, nm in width. The contour map of the surface shows a unique surface structure in which hollows are aligned along the domain boundary; the hollows have a width of about 600, nm and a depth of 2, nm. If the surface image indicates a strain originating from the domain boundary structure, the thickness of the ferroelastic domain wall of GdP5O14 is estimated to be about 0.6, μ m at room temperature.