View in EDS

In-plane ferroelectricity with high Curie temperatures in nonequilibrium SnSe1-xSx van der Waals semiconductors.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: In-plane ferroelectricity with high Curie temperatures in nonequilibrium SnSe1-xSx van der Waals semiconductors.
Authors: Sutter, Eli1, Sutter, Peter2 psutter@unl.edu
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 6/10/2025, Vol. 122 Issue 23, p1-7. 13p.
Subjects: Ferroelectric crystals, Curie temperature, Ferroelectricity, Electron microscopy, Space groups
Abstract: While symmetry breaking in 2D ferroelectrics is obviously linked to the single-layer structure, layered (van der Waals) ferroelectrics can have a multitude of underlying mechanisms, making their identification nontrivial and often controversial. This complexity is exemplified by tin chalcogenides whose equilibrium structure, the orthorhombic α-phase with space group Pnma, includes an inversion center and which therefore should not be ferroelectric. Yet, recent work demonstrated polarization switching and ferroelectric domains in few-layer SnS and SnSe. Here, we use in situ electron microscopy and diffraction to determine the mechanism and characteristics of ferroelectricity across the SnSe1-xSx system. We identify two distinct phases of synthetic SnSe1-xSx: nonpolar (centrosymmetric) equilibrium (α-phase) crystals and metastable crystals adopting a distorted monoclinic structure, which are in-plane ferroelectrics with Curie temperatures of 320 to 420 °C. A surprising structural plasticity of the ferroelectric crystals during heating/cooling indicates a shallow energy landscape. This in turn suggests absence of a pronounced driving force for conversion to the α-phase that can explain the formation of the nonequilibrium crystals and their stability even after transfer to other supports. Our results highlight opportunities for the discovery of novel ferroelectrics among nonequilibrium van der Waals crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: egs
DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 187220578
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: In-plane ferroelectricity with high Curie temperatures in nonequilibrium SnSe<subscript>1-x</subscript>S<subscript>x</subscript> van der Waals semiconductors.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sutter%2C+Eli%22">Sutter, Eli</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sutter%2C+Peter%22">Sutter, Peter</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo><i> psutter@unl.edu</i>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Proceedings+of+the+National+Academy+of+Sciences+of+the+United+States+of+America%22">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America</searchLink>. 6/10/2025, Vol. 122 Issue 23, p1-7. 13p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ferroelectric+crystals%22">Ferroelectric crystals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curie+temperature%22">Curie temperature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ferroelectricity%22">Ferroelectricity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electron+microscopy%22">Electron microscopy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Space+groups%22">Space groups</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: While symmetry breaking in 2D ferroelectrics is obviously linked to the single-layer structure, layered (van der Waals) ferroelectrics can have a multitude of underlying mechanisms, making their identification nontrivial and often controversial. This complexity is exemplified by tin chalcogenides whose equilibrium structure, the orthorhombic α-phase with space group Pnma, includes an inversion center and which therefore should not be ferroelectric. Yet, recent work demonstrated polarization switching and ferroelectric domains in few-layer SnS and SnSe. Here, we use in situ electron microscopy and diffraction to determine the mechanism and characteristics of ferroelectricity across the SnSe1-xSx system. We identify two distinct phases of synthetic SnSe1-xSx: nonpolar (centrosymmetric) equilibrium (α-phase) crystals and metastable crystals adopting a distorted monoclinic structure, which are in-plane ferroelectrics with Curie temperatures of 320 to 420 °C. A surprising structural plasticity of the ferroelectric crystals during heating/cooling indicates a shallow energy landscape. This in turn suggests absence of a pronounced driving force for conversion to the α-phase that can explain the formation of the nonequilibrium crystals and their stability even after transfer to other supports. Our results highlight opportunities for the discovery of novel ferroelectrics among nonequilibrium van der Waals crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=187220578
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1073/pnas.2501509122
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 13
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Ferroelectric crystals
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Curie temperature
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ferroelectricity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electron microscopy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Space groups
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: In-plane ferroelectricity with high Curie temperatures in nonequilibrium SnSe1-xSx van der Waals semiconductors.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Sutter, Eli
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Sutter, Peter
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 10
              M: 06
              Text: 6/10/2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00278424
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 122
            – Type: issue
              Value: 23
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
              Type: main
ResultId 1