Analysis of multi-domain ferroelectric switching in BiFeO3 thin film using phase-field method

•A phase-field model was used to study the electric-field induced switching process.•Results show that 71° switching path is the dominant one.•The impact of electric field increasing rate on switching process was also studied.

A phase-field model is developed to elucidate the process of polarization switching in BiFeO3 thin film. The results demonstrated an energy-favorable mechanism for domain switching path and revealed possible ferroelectric domain switching modes. It is shown that 71° switching is dominant among the three possible switching paths, namely 71°, 109° and 180° switching. This might provide significant references for the application of ferroelectric materials under electric fields.