Fig. 4: Transient flexoelectric control in ultrathin CuInP2S6.
From: Reversible flexoelectric domain engineering at the nanoscale in van der Waals ferroelectrics
a Flow diagram of transient flexoelectric control in the CIPS. The sample is deformed slightly by tip imprinting within the elastic limit. The ferroelectric polarization is switched via the flexoelectric effect. By retracting the tip, the sample morphology recovers, and the switched ferroelectric polarization is preserved. b Topography images before (upper panel) and after (lower panel) the transient flexoelectric control operation. c Corresponding statistical histograms of the height variations in (b). d, e Initial and written PFM phase images in a spontaneous upward domain. The white dashed circles in (d) indicate the imprinting area of each tip. The generated downward nanodomain is highlighted with a red dashed circle. The scale bar is 200 nm. f, g Initial and written PFM phase images in a spontaneous downward domain. The scale bar is 200 nm.
