- Zeches, RJ;
- Rossell, MD;
- Zhang, JX;
- Hatt, AJ;
- He, Q;
- Yang, C-H;
- Kumar, A;
- Wang, CH;
- Melville, A;
- Adamo, C;
- Sheng, G;
- Chu, Y-H;
- Ihlefeld, JF;
- Erni, R;
- Ederer, C;
- Gopalan, V;
- Chen, LQ;
- Schlom, DG;
- Spaldin, NA;
- Martin, LW;
- Ramesh, R
Piezoelectric materials, which convert mechanical to electrical energy and vice versa, are typically characterized by the intimate coexistence of two phases across a morphotropic phase boundary. Electrically switching one to the other yields large electromechanical coupling coefficients. Driven by global environmental concerns, there is currently a strong push to discover practical lead-free piezoelectrics for device engineering. Using a combination of epitaxial growth techniques in conjunction with theoretical approaches, we show the formation of a morphotropic phase boundary through epitaxial constraint in lead-free piezoelectric bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) films. Electric field-dependent studies show that a tetragonal-like phase can be reversibly converted into a rhombohedral-like phase, accompanied by measurable displacements of the surface, making this new lead-free system of interest for probe-based data storage and actuator applications.