Temperature-dependent high energy-resolution EELS of ferroelectric and paraelectric BaTiO3 phases

Probing the ferroelectricity at the nanometer scale is of particular interest for a wide range of applications. In this Rapid Communication, the structural distortion of BaTiO3 (BTO) is studied in its ferroelectric (rhombohedral and tetragonal), and paraelectric phases from the O K near edge structures in electron energy loss spectroscopy. Modifications of the electronic structure are detected in the lowest energy fine structure (FS) of the O K …