Crystal growth and dynamic ferroelectric hysteresis scaling behavior of molecular ferroelectric diisopropylammonium bromide

• DIPAB crystal with P21 phase is directly obtaned in solution at room temperature.
• The water plays a key role in the phase of DIPAB crystal during crystallization.
• A three-stage behavior of the dynamic hysteresis of DIPAB crystal is observed.

The molecular ferroelectric, diisopropylammonium bromide (DIPAB) crystal with P21 phase is successfully prepared in an anhydrous environment at room temperature. The results illustrate that the water in the solvent / environment plays a key role in the phase of DIPAB single crystal during crystallization process. The scaling behavior of the dynamic hysteresis of DIPAB crystal is also investigated. The scaling relations of hysteresis area(A) against frequency (f) and applied electric field amplitude (E0) can be expressed with A∝f−0.17E01 in the f-region I (30–6.6 Hz), A∝f0.045E00.92 in the f-region II (200–50 Hz) and A∝f−0.41E02 in the f-region III (500–250 Hz). This three-stage behavior between the loop area A and frequency is ascribed to the coexistence of order-disorder and displacive characters in the ferroelectric transition characters in such molecular ferroelectrics.