Domain-wall-to-domain interconversion in a polar conducting oxide
Abstract
Domain walls in ferroic crystals are topological defects with a symmetry distinct from the domain interior, allowing them to display functionalities that are otherwise forbidden in the host material. Despite their unique properties, domain walls are strictly confined to two-dimensional interfaces, which hinders unveiling their true nature and limits their applicability. Here, we demonstrate reversible dimensionality control by expanding nanoscale domain walls into three-dimensional functional regions in polar epitaxial tungsten trioxide (WO3). This domain-wall-to-domain interconversion is enabled by the conducting, non-polar domain walls adopting the parent-phase structure. An alternating electric field applied through a scanning probe tip induces localized heating, which expands this domain-wall phase into the adjacent polar domains. This approach enables reversible spatial control to switch between mutually exclusive properties of domains (polarity) and domain walls (conductivity), offering a new paradigm for reconfigurable oxide electronics.
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BibTeX
@misc{sarott2026domainwalltodomain,
title = {{Domain-wall-to-domain interconversion in a polar conducting oxide}},
author = {Martin Sarott and Majid Ahmadi and Johanna van Gent González and Ewout van der Veer and Mads C. Weber and Jacopo Pinna and Daniel Chaney and Arijit Sinha and Hamideh Hassani and Horatio Cox and Thomas Perrault and Amir Sabet Ghorabaei and Maria Loi and Philippe Ghosez and Bart Kooi and Beatriz Noheda},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.16681},
eprint = {2610.16681},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05800163v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Domain-wall-to-domain interconversion in a polar conducting oxide
AU - Martin Sarott
AU - Majid Ahmadi
AU - Johanna van Gent González
AU - Ewout van der Veer
AU - Mads C. Weber
AU - Jacopo Pinna
AU - Daniel Chaney
AU - Arijit Sinha
AU - Hamideh Hassani
AU - Horatio Cox
AU - Thomas Perrault
AU - Amir Sabet Ghorabaei
AU - Maria Loi
AU - Philippe Ghosez
AU - Bart Kooi
AU - Beatriz Noheda
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
PB - HAL
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.16681
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05800163v1
AB - Domain walls in ferroic crystals are topological defects with a symmetry distinct from the domain interior, allowing them to display functionalities that are otherwise forbidden in the host material. Despite their unique properties, domain walls are strictly confined to two-dimensional interfaces, which hinders unveiling their true nature and limits their applicability. Here, we demonstrate reversible dimensionality control by expanding nanoscale domain walls into three-dimensional functional regions in polar epitaxial tungsten trioxide (WO_3). This domain-wall-to-domain interconversion is enabled by the conducting, non-polar domain walls adopting the parent-phase structure. An alternating electric field applied through a scanning probe tip induces localized heating, which expands this domain-wall phase into the adjacent polar domains. This approach enables reversible spatial control to switch between mutually exclusive properties of domains (polarity) and domain walls (conductivity), offering a new paradigm for reconfigurable oxide electronics.
ER -