Title |
The origin of incipient ferroelectricity in lead telluride
|
---|---|
Published in |
Nature Communications, July 2016
|
DOI | 10.1038/ncomms12291 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
M. P. Jiang, M. Trigo, I. Savić, S. Fahy, É. D. Murray, C. Bray, J. Clark, T. Henighan, M. Kozina, M. Chollet, J. M. Glownia, M. C. Hoffmann, D. Zhu, O. Delaire, A. F. May, B. C. Sales, A. M. Lindenberg, P. Zalden, T. Sato, R. Merlin, D. A. Reis |
Abstract |
The interactions between electrons and lattice vibrations are fundamental to materials behaviour. In the case of group IV-VI, V and related materials, these interactions are strong, and the materials exist near electronic and structural phase transitions. The prototypical example is PbTe whose incipient ferroelectric behaviour has been recently associated with large phonon anharmonicity and thermoelectricity. Here we show that it is primarily electron-phonon coupling involving electron states near the band edges that leads to the ferroelectric instability in PbTe. Using a combination of nonequilibrium lattice dynamics measurements and first principles calculations, we find that photoexcitation reduces the Peierls-like electronic instability and reinforces the paraelectric state. This weakens the long-range forces along the cubic direction tied to resonant bonding and low lattice thermal conductivity. Our results demonstrate how free-electron-laser-based ultrafast X-ray scattering can be utilized to shed light on the microscopic mechanisms that determine materials properties. |
X Demographics
As of 1 July 2024, you may notice a temporary increase in the numbers of X profiles with Unknown location. Click here to learn more.
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Japan | 1 | 50% |
Unknown | 1 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 2 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Spain | 1 | <1% |
United States | 1 | <1% |
Switzerland | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 119 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 42 | 34% |
Researcher | 26 | 21% |
Professor | 9 | 7% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 8 | 7% |
Other | 4 | 3% |
Other | 14 | 11% |
Unknown | 19 | 16% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Physics and Astronomy | 41 | 34% |
Materials Science | 33 | 27% |
Engineering | 10 | 8% |
Chemistry | 10 | 8% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 2 | 2% |
Other | 3 | 2% |
Unknown | 23 | 19% |