Recent Advances in Ferroelectric and Related Materials: From Fundamentals to Novel Applications

Ferroelectric materials own versatile properties that have been exploited for a long time, covering a wide range of applications, from electronic and communication technologies, through environment monitoring and medicine, to energy storage and energy harvesting. From a fundamental point of view, ferroelectrics are fascinating materials possessing the capability to provide new functionalities through compositional design, microstructural refinement, interfaces optimization, scaling down, and so on. In recent decades, the field of ferroelectrics has experienced significant expansion with the discovery of new types of ferroelectric systems and the exploration of novel applications. Ferroelectric and related materials serve as the foundation for numerous key technologies today, and they hold great potential for addressing various imminent challenges, including issues related to energy and power crises, as well as the advancement of sensor and actuator technologies, among others.

Current technological, scientific and social challenges keep ferroelectric materials in the spotlight of materials science. Therefore, the study of new materials properties and their functionalities become essential, being one of the main goals addressed to the integration within the current technologies, processing, and devices. Ferroelectric memory devices, for instance, are expected to be ideal candidates for neuromorphic computing. Furthermore, ferroelectric domain walls possess electronic properties distinct from the bulk that can also be electrically manipulated, giving rise to new low-energy electronics applications. On the other hand, advanced processing allows integration of ferroelectrics with other smart materials leading to the development of strain-mediated advanced sensor & actuator devices.

This current Research Topic pretends to be a forum to discuss the most recent advances in ferroelectric and related materials, from both fundamental and applied physics. Original Research as well as Review articles are welcome. Contributions on all types of ferroelectric materials, either experimental or theoretical studies as well as potential applications are also welcome. Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

• Structure-microstructure-properties relationship
• Advanced processing
• Thin films, single crystals, ceramics and composites
• Ferroelectrics-based energy storage and harvesting
• Ferroelectric refrigeration & solid-state electrocaloric capacitors
• Low-dimensional ferroelectrics
• Novel ferroelectric & multiferroic materials
• Nanoscale phenomena and size effects
• Novel applications of ferroelectric and related materials
• Order-disorder phenomena and relaxor ferroelectrics
• First-principles calculations, phase transitions, and critical phenomena

Keywords: Ferroelectrics, Multiferroics, relaxors, domain-wall, energy-storage, energy-harvesting, electrocaloric capacitors, advanced processing

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.