Discovery of stable skyrmionic state in ferroelectric nanocomposites

TLDR

Skyrmions—non‑coplanar swirling field textures—are of fundamental and technological interest, yet have been extensively studied only in magnets where chiral interactions stabilize them, while ferroelectrics lacking such interactions have largely been ignored. This study demonstrates that a skyrmionic polarization configuration can be extrinsically stabilized in ferroelectric nanocomposites using a first‑principles‑based framework. The stabilization arises from the interplay between confined geometry and dipolar interactions that drive ferroelectric phase instability, producing skyrmionic configurations whose topology maps onto domain‑wall junctions. The resulting electrical skyrmions can be only a few nanometers in size, highlighting their promise for nanoscale applications in ferroelectric nanocomposites.

Abstract

Abstract Non-coplanar swirling field textures, or skyrmions, are now widely recognized as objects of both fundamental interest and technological relevance. So far, skyrmions were amply investigated in magnets, where due to the presence of chiral interactions, these topological objects were found to be intrinsically stabilized. Ferroelectrics on the other hand, lacking such chiral interactions, were somewhat left aside in this quest. Here we demonstrate, via the use of a first-principles-based framework, that skyrmionic configuration of polarization can be extrinsically stabilized in ferroelectric nanocomposites. The interplay between the considered confined geometry and the dipolar interaction underlying the ferroelectric phase instability induces skyrmionic configurations. The topological structure of the obtained electrical skyrmion can be mapped onto the topology of domain-wall junctions. Furthermore, the stabilized electrical skyrmion can be as small as a few nanometers, thus revealing prospective skyrmion-based applications of ferroelectric nanocomposites.