Open AccessBack Cover: Phys. Status Solidi C 6/2012
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
physica status solidi c
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1610-1642
pISSN - 1862-6351
DOI - 10.1002/pssc.201290010
Subject(s) - ferroelectricity , polarization (electrochemistry) , cover (algebra) , condensed matter physics , materials science , nanotechnology , engineering physics , physics , chemistry , optoelectronics , engineering , mechanical engineering , dielectric
Polarization domains of ferroelectric surfaces can be manipulated at the nanoscale by an external electric field, in order to tailor the surface reactivity for specific applications. Indeed, different research groups have recently demonstrated polarization‐dependent physical and chemical surface phenomena. The cover picture shows the potential energy surface experienced by hydroxyl (upper part) and hydrogen (lower part) radicals at the positive (left‐hand side) and negative (right‐hand side) LiNbO 3 (0001) surfaces investigated by Hölscher et al. in their article on pp. 1361. By means of first‐principles calculations in the framework of the density functional theory, the authors show that adsorption energy, configuration and adsorbate mobility are strongly polarization dependent. Ferroelectric chemical sensors such as gas detectors can thus be envisioned, where adsorption switches the polarization of a thin ferroelectric gate of a field‐effect device.