Doctoral candidate Yuanyuan Jing has published research on mapping local electrical polarization and polarization changes in ferroelectric thin films. Her approach, published online April 7 in the Journal of Applied Physics with her advisor Professor John E Blendell and co-author Professor Keith J Bowman, enables a systematic approach to resolving the vector components of polarization in polycrystalline thin films at nanoscale resolution. Ferroelectric materials find applications in solid state computer memories, materials for ultrasound and actuators for diesel engines.

Yuanyuan Jing, John Blendell, Keith J. Bowman, "Mapping of 90 and 180switched grains in a polycrystalline PZT thin film by 3D PFM phase difference maps." J. Appl. Phys. 109, 074110 (2011).

This research is from the Purdue University Focused Research Group on Domain Orientation and Anisotropy in Poled Piezoelectrics. It is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR-0805022. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.