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Strain-gradient and curvature-induced changes in domain morphology of BaTiO3 nanorods: Experimental and theoretical studies

Olha A. Kovalenko1,2,3,*, Eugene A. Eliseev2, Yuriy O. Zagorodniy2, Srečo Davor Škapin1, Marjeta Maček Kržmanc1, Lesya D. Demchenko4,5, Valentyn V. Laguta2,6,7,†, Zdravko Kutnjak1, Dean R. Evans8,‡ et al.

Anna N. Morozovska9,§

  • *Contact author: olgiuskovalenko@gmail.com
  • †Contact author: laguta@fzu.cz
  • ‡Contact author: deanevans@zone5tech.com
  • §Contact author: anna.n.morozovska@gmail.com
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Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 044409 – Published 28 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/b332-gcxc

Abstract

We investigate the impact of OH− ions incorporation on the lattice strain and spontaneous polarization of BaTiO3 nanorods synthesized under different conditions. It was confirmed that the lattice strain depends directly on Ba supersaturation, with higher supersaturation leading to an increase in the lattice strain. However, it was shown that crystal growth and observed lattice distortion are not primarily influenced by external strain; rather, OH− ions incorporation plays a key role in generating internal chemical strains and driving these processes. By using the less reactive TiO2 precursor instead of TiOCl2 and controlling Ba supersaturation, the slower nucleation rate enables more effective regulation of OH− ions incorporation and crystal growth. This in turn effects both particle size and lattice distortion, leading to c/a ratio of 1.013–1.014. The incorporation of OH− ions induces lattice elongation along the c axis, contributing to anisotropic growth, increasing of the rod diameter and their growth-induced bending. However, the possibility of the curvature-induced changes in domain morphology of BaTiO3 nanorods remains almost unexplored. To study the possibility, we perform analytical calculations and finite element modeling, which provide insights into the curvature-induced changes in the strain-gradient, polarization distribution, and domain morphology in BaTiO3 nanorods. Theoretical results reveal the appearance of the domain stripes in BaTiO3 nanorod when the curvature exceeds a critical angle. The physical origin of the domain stripes emergence is the tendency to minimize the elastic energy of the nanorod by the domain splitting. These findings suggest that BaTiO3 nanorods, with curvature-controllable amount of domain stripes, could serve as flexible race-track memory elements for flexotronics and domain-wall electronics. Overall, this work enhances the understanding of how the shape anisotropy, lattice strains, and strain gradients influence the domain morphology of ferroelectric nanorods, offering a pathway for tuning properties of the nanorods for advanced applications in nanoelectronics.

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Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 044409– Published 28 April, 2026
  • Received 15 January 2026
  • Revised 3 March 2026
  • Accepted 8 April 2026
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