Dear Colleagues,

Because of their robust spontaneous electrical polarization, ferroelectric thin films are essential components in a wide range of well-known applications, such as non-volatile memories, radio frequency and microwave devices, and sensors and actuators. Recently, several promising developments in the use of ferroelectric thin films in new applications have been reported, covering different areas such as energy harvesting and storage, photocatalysis, photovoltaics, tunnel junctions, and memristors, among others. Therefore, interest in ferroelectric thin films is continuously on the rise, both from fundamental science and application-oriented research perspectives. However, discovering new ferroelectric materials and improving the performance of existing ferroelectric thin films in device applications remains crucial in the development of new functional materials, while finding innovative syntheses and improving existing ones, towards finding new technological solutions that impact the cost-efficiency relationship.

For instance, the unavoidable drawbacks that obstruct the progress of device integration of conventional ferroelectric thin films, such as poor complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility, the toxicity of lead-based materials like PZT, and the degradation of macroscopic properties in ultrathin perovskite ferroelectric films, which is detrimental to increasing high storage density, seem to have become outdated due to the unexpected discovery of ferroelectricity in hafnium oxide-based thin films.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of ferroelectricity, this Special Issue will provide a comprehensive overview and the most recent advances in topics related to the synthesis and applications of ferroelectric thin films. Therefore, we invite contributions that identify novel synthesis approaches of ferroelectric thin films, with improved functional properties that are precisely tailored to offer unique advantages to be used in specific applications.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Jose P. B. Silva
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• lead-free ferroelectrics
• thin films
• synthesis methods
• novel functionalities and applications