Abstract:
The ferroelectric effect [1] was first observed by Valasek in 1921, in the Rochelle salt. This has molecular formula KNaC4H4O6.4H2O. The effect was then not considered for some time, and it wasn't until a few decades ago that they came into great use. Nowadays, ferroelectric materials are used widely, mainly in memory applications
To be ferroelectric, a material must possess a spontaneous dipole moment that can be switched in an applied electric field, i.e. spontaneous switchable polarisation. This is found when two particles of charge q are separated by some distance r, i.e.:.....
