Antiferroelectric (AFE) materials, characterized by their antiparallel dipole alignments, offer distinct ferroic functionalities desirable for high‐energy‐density storage and next‐generation low‐power electronic devices. However, the intrinsic degeneracy among antipolar domain variants poses a critical obstacle to their deterministic, nonvolatile control and practical integration into functional architectures. Here, selective and reversible manipulation of AFE domain configurations in freestanding PbZrO3 membranes via electron beam irradiation are demonstrated. By tailoring the electron beam–induced built‐in electric field, controlled writing and erasure of both in‐plane and out‐of‐plane antipolar domain variants are enabled. Complementary phase‐field simulations uncover the underlying energetic landscape and domain evolution under varying irradiation conditions, offering mechanistic insight into the observed transformations. These findings demonstrate a promising strategy for domain‐level engineering of antiferroelectrics, establishing a generic and programmable approach to deterministically control antipolar ordering in perovskite systems—suggesting a pathway toward controlled, reversible switching of AFE domains in nanoscale oxide architectures. Electron‐beam engineering of freestanding PbZrO3 membranes enables selective and reversible switching between in‐plane and out‐of‐plane antiferroelectric domain variants. By tuning the built‐in electric field through beam focusing, deterministic control of antipolar order is achieved. This programmable, non‐contact approach offers a general strategy for reconfigurable domain engineering in perovskite antiferroelectrics and nanoelectronic applications.
- Deterministic Switching of Antipolar Variants in Antiferroelectric Membranes
- Yi‐De Liou - The University of Texas at ArlingtonShih‐Chao Chang - National Cheng Kung UniversityHong‐Ren Wang - National Cheng Kung UniversityPuneet Kaur - National Cheng Kung UniversityShin‐Hong Chen - National Cheng Kung UniversityBo‐Cia Chen - National Cheng Kung UniversityYong‐Jyun Wang - National Tsing Hua UniversityLe Thi Quynh - National Tsing Hua UniversityYen‐Lin Huang - National Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityYe Cao - Pennsylvania State UniversityYi‐Chun Chen - National Cheng Kung UniversityZheng Liu - National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and TechnologyYing‐Hao Chu - National Tsing Hua University, College of Semiconductor ResearchYung‐Chang Lin - The University of OsakaKazu Suenaga - Osaka Research Institute of Industrial Science and TechnologyJan‐Chi Yang - National Cheng Kung University
- Wiley-VCH Verlag
- 12
- JST‐CREST (JPMJCR20B1; JPMJCR20B5) ERC Synergy grant “MORE‐TEM” (951215) National Science and Technology Council (NSTC 113‐2124‐M‐006‐010; 113‐2639‐M‐007‐001‐ASP; 114‐2628‐E‐A49‐012‐M; 114‐2124‐M‐006‐003; 112‐2112‐M‐006‐020‐MY3) Higher Education Sprout Project and the Center for Quantum Frontiers of Research & Technology JSPS KAKENHI (21H05235; 23H05443; 25K01748; 23K26505)
- Journal article
- 01/02/2026
- Advanced materials (Weinheim), Vol.38(7), e19717
- English