Cited by 84Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric MaterialsMultiferroics and related materialsFerroelectric and Negative Capacitance Devices

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 449 of the 449 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 437 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Antiferroelectric oxide thin-films: Fundamentals, properties, and applications

Open access
Si, Yangyang, Zhang, Tianfu, Liu, Chenhan, Das, Sujit, Xu, Bin, Burkovsky, Roman G., Wei, Xian-Kui, Chen, Zuhuang·2024·Progress in Materials Science

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review synthesizes fundamentals, thin-film engineering strategies, materials, and device applications of antiferroelectric oxide thin films, emphasizing how thickness, strain, interfaces, defects, doping, orientation, domains, superlattices, and octahedral tilts tune AFE order. It argues AFE thin films differ strongly from bulk and are promising for energy storage, electrocaloric cooling, electrostrain, negative capacitance, memory, tunnel junctions, thermal switching, and photovoltaics, while many mechanisms remain unresolved.

Key findings

  • AFE thin films exhibit size-driven AFE-to-FE transitions: PbZrO₃ films can develop a FE tetragonal phase below a critical thickness of about 6 nm under short-circuit boundary conditions even without epitaxial strain, and PbZrO₃/PbZr₀.₈Ti₀.₂O₃ multilayers transition when the PbZrO₃ sub-layer thickness decreases to ~10 nm.
  • Thin-film phase transitions differ from bulk: bulk PbZrO₃ undergoes a sharp first-order AFE-to-PE transition at ~232 °C, while epitaxial PbZrO₃ films show a modified, diffuse transition and a T_A higher by 40 K than bulk; field-induced switching can be fast, with a characteristic switching time as short as 3 ns.
  • Engineering levers include strain, orientation, domain/defect/doping, superlattice/interface control, and octahedral tilt control. For PbHfO₃ films on (100)-, (111)-, and (110)-oriented SrTiO₃, saturated polarization varies from 30.54 to 38.91 μC/cm² and critical transition field from 650 to 870 kV/cm.
  • Applications show strong performance: relaxor AFE (Pb₀.₉₇La₀.₀₂)(Zr₀.₅₅Sn₀.₄₅)O₃ thin films achieved ~98.5% energy storage efficiency and ~84.45 J/cm³; PbZrO₃ thermal switching showed a ratio >2.2, <150 ns switching, and >10 million cycles; AFE HfZrO memory showed ~10 ns read/write, >1 ms retention, and 10¹² endurance cycles; PbZrO₃ tunnel junctions showed ON/OFF ratios up to 10⁷.

Methods

  • This is a review article, not a primary experimental study; it synthesizes experimental and theoretical literature on antiferroelectric oxide thin films.
  • It covers definition/history/mechanisms, phase transitions, thin-film engineering strategies, material families including lead-based and lead-free perovskites, fluorite Hf/Zr oxides, and non-perovskite AFEs, and device applications.
  • The main analysis is a thematic/narrative synthesis, with tables and figures comparing key parameters and device performance across reported systems.

Limitations

  • The paper states that the mechanism and even definition of AFEs remain ambiguous, multiple soft modes and extrinsic defects obscure the origin of AFE order, structures remain controversial, fatigue mechanisms are not fully understood, and phase-transition dynamics and field-induced FE structures in thin films remain elusive.
  • The paper notes that most understanding of epitaxial strain effects comes from zero-Kelvin DFT calculations and may not reflect finite-temperature behavior, and that phenomenological Landau approaches have not been widely used for AFE films.
  • Evident from the text: as a review, it does not present new primary data or a systematic meta-analysis, so its conclusions depend on the selected literature.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.pmatsci.2023.101231

Cites

449 of 449 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

326 Sources not found · 49 Own interpretation · 40 No basis given · 15 Not checked yet · 4 Own result

Show all 254 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 137
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 62
180 of 180
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A comprehensive understanding that addresses the specific requirements for manipulating the functional properties of AFE thin films is still lacking.

    “Currently, a comprehensive understanding that addresses the specific requirements for manipulating the functional properties of AFE thin films is still lacking.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    AFE films share some properties and control principles with FE films but have distinct characteristics.

    “Although AFE films share some properties and control principles with FE films, they have distinct characteristics.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Defects are common in materials and are inevitable during the sample preparation process.

    “Defects are common in materials and are inevitable during the sample preparation process.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The AFE lattice distortion in PbZrO3 films is inhomogeneous.

    “Considering that the AFE lattice distortion is inhomogeneous”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Lead-based AFE materials contain heavy metal lead that is toxic to the environment and human body.

    “However, these materials contain heavy metal lead, which is toxic to the environment and human body.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Capacitors generally have low energy densities (typically less than 10 J/cm3) relative to other energy storage systems.

    “However, capacitors generally have low energy densities (typically less than 10 J/cm 3 ) relative to other energy storage systems.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Introducing relaxor into AFE usually results in lower polarization under the same electric field.

    “Usually, introducing relaxor into AFE results in lower polarization under the same electric field.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The tolerance factor t is a critical indicator for the phase stability of perovskite structure.

    “It is known that the tolerance factor t is a critical indicator for the phase stability of perovskite structure.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The origin of Hf1-xZrxO2-based antiferroelectricity and its structure details are still obscure.

    “Although the origin of Hf 1-x Zr x O 2 -based antiferroelectricity and its structure details are still obscure”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    For dielectrics, the electronic bandgap is typically large and the electronic entropy S_e can be ignored.

    “For dielectrics, their electronic bandgap is typically large, and the electronic entropy S e can be ignored.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The fast phase transition under an external electric field can be treated as adiabatic and reversible without heat exchange between the dielectric material and the external environment.

    “The fast phase transition under an external electric field (a few nanoseconds [357,358]) can be treated as adiabatic and reversible without heat exchange between the dielectric material and the external environment.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The total entropy S of dielectrics has two major components: dipolar or configurational entropy S_c and vibrational entropy S_p.

    “Thus, the total entropy S has two major components: dipolar or configurational entropy S c and vibrational entropy S p .”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    In the ISE model, there is no charge injection.

    “By assuming that there is no charge injection”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The LGD phenomenological model assumes the presence of a depolarized state.

    “this phenomenological model assumes the presence of depolarized state”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    AFEs are centrosymmetric.

    “the AFEs, believed to be centrosymmetric”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Multiple soft modes during AFE phase transition display complex results of structure and electrical behavior, which obscure the origin of AFE order.

    “On one hand, multiple soft modes during AFE phase transition displays complex results of structure and electrical behavior, which obscure the origin of AFE order.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The lack of defect-free AFE material usually results in extrinsic behaviors.

    “On the other hand, the lack of defect-free AFE material usually results in extrinsic behaviors.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    AFE materials do not exhibit net polarization.

    “As a counterpart of FE, AFE materials do not exhibit net polarization and thus seem to lack a depolarization field, which is considered as one of the origins of forming topological polar structure.”
18 of 18

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Items 401–449 of 449

Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. Zhang, 2016, Energy-storage properties and high-temperature dielectric relaxation behaviors of relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 ceramics, J Phys D: Appl Phys, 49
  2. Chaudhuri, 2011, Epitaxial strain stabilization of a ferroelectric phase in PbZrO3 thin films, Phys Rev B, 84
  3. A k, j k., 1999118933, Ag1-xNaxNbO3 (ANN) solid solutions: from disordered antiferroelectric AgNbO3 to normal antiferroelectric NaNbO3, J Phys Condens Matter
  4. Smolenskii, 1961, New materials of AIIBIVOVI type, Trans Sov Phys Solid State, 2, 2651
  5. Acharya, 2022, Exploring the Pb1-xSrxHfO3 System and Potential for High Capacitive Energy Storage Density and Efficiency, Adv Mater, 334, 2105967, 10.1002/adma.202105967 · DOI · Paper page
  6. Zhao, 2014, Energy-Storage Properties and Electrocaloric Effect of Pb(1–3x/2)LaxZr0.85Ti0.15O3 Antiferroelectric Thick Films. ACS Appl Mater, Interface, 6, 11633
  7. Landauer, 1976, Can capacitance be negative Collect Phenom, 2, 167
  8. Levin, 2009, Structural changes underlying the diffuse dielectric response in AgNbO3, Phys Rev B, 79, 10.1103/PhysRevB.79.104113 · DOI
  9. Nokhrin, 1998, Influence of La impurities on PbZrO3 dielectric permittivity, J Korean Phys Soc, 32, S308

Cited by

Sorted by citations

See all 84

Metadata

Authors
Si, Y., Zhang, T., Liu, C., Das, S., Xu, B., Burkovsky, R. G., Wei, X.-K., & Chen, Z.
Affiliations
  • Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
  • Nanjing Normal University (CN)
  • Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IN)
  • Soochow University (CN)
  • Xiamen University (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Das, Sujit
  • Wei, Xian-Kui
  • Chen, Zuhuang
Venue
Progress in Materials Science
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2024-04
Volume
142
Pages
101231
ISSN
0079-6425 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4390503066
Cited by
84
References
442
Citations by year
2026: 36 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 15
FWCI
7.87
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Progress in Materials Science (publishedVersion)
  • Universitas Pasundan institutional repositories & scientific journals (Universitas Pasundan) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Indian Institute of Science
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (12074277, 52206092, 52372105)
  • Government of Jiangsu Province (JSSCBS20210315)
  • Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20210565)
  • Xiamen University
  • Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Materials
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials › Multiferroics and related materials
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Ferroelectric and Negative Capacitance Devices
Keywords
thin films, antiferroelectric phase transition, lattice strain, film thickness effects, surface and interface effects, stoichiometry, energy storage, solid-state cooling, thermal switch, actuators, memory devices

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-27, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).

A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-27 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review