Journal
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
Volume 108, Issue 6, Pages -Publisher
AMER PHYSICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.078103
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Funding
- National Science Foundation [DMR 1006194, CMMI 1100339, CAREER 0954825, CMMI 1100791]
- Army Research Office [W911NF-07-1-0410]
- UIF from the Center for Nanotechnology, University of Washington
- NASA [11-NSTRF11-0323]
- National Institute of Health [HL098028]
- Directorate For Engineering
- Div Of Civil, Mechanical, & Manufact Inn [0954825, 1100791] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Materials Research
- Direct For Mathematical & Physical Scien [1006194] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Div Of Civil, Mechanical, & Manufact Inn
- Directorate For Engineering [1100339] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Many biological tissues are piezoelectric and pyroelectric with spontaneous polarization. Ferroelectricity, however, has not been reported in soft biological tissues yet. Using piezoresponse force microscopy, we discover that the porcine aortic walls are not only piezoelectric, but also ferroelectric, with the piezoelectric coefficient in the order of 1 pm/V and coercive voltage approximately 10 V. Through detailed switching spectroscopy mapping and relaxation studies, we also find that the polarization of the aortic walls is internally biased outward, and the inward polarization switched by a negative voltage is unstable, reversing spontaneously to the more stable outward orientation shortly after the switching voltage is removed. The discovery of ferroelectricity in soft biological tissues adds an important dimension to their biophysical properties, and could have physiological implications as well.
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