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Electric-polarization reversibility in nano-ferroelectric structures rendersthem as a convenient platform for exploring phase transitions and developingenergy-efficient switching devices. However, the fundamental question of howferroic domains switch, i.e. how the polarization changes from one state toanother, is yet to be answered fully. There are contradicting models and a widebody of accumulated data which disagree as to whether the switching requiresdomain nucleation. Moreover, ferroelectric domains switch under electric fieldsthat are supposedly too weak to form nucleation sites, indicating that thelevel of disorder seen in real systems plays an important role. Thislongstanding so-called Landauer's paradox is the ferroelectric equivalent tothe absence of raindrop formation in a dust-free vacuum, leading tosupersaturated vapors that cannot exist otherwise, e.g. in spinodaldecompositions or inhomogeneous nucleation environments. Here we show thatpolarization switching in ferroelectric-ferroelastic systems comprises domaintypes that differ by symmetry, lengthscale and switching energy. These domainsswitch simultaneously thanks to intermediate-range order of organized pinningsites, supporting the previously-unexplained coexistence ofnucleation-and-growth and nucleation-frustrated mechanisms. Our treatment isapplicable to other Kolmogorov-Avrami systems with multi-scale phasetransitions. Finally, we demonstrate augmented electromechanical coupling basedon the collective motion of pinning sites, which is promising for nanoelectro-mechanical and low-power switching devices.

Towards Resolving Landauer's Paradox Through Direct Observation of Multiscale Ferroelastic-Ferroelectric Interplay