Use of nanomechanical fracture-testing for determining the interfacial adhesion of PZT ferroelectric thin films

The nano-indentation and nano-scratch fracture of Pb(Ti0.48Zr0.52)O3 (PZT) ferroelectric thin films deposited by solution–gelatin chemistry (sol–gel) were investigated using a three-sided and conical indenter, respectively. The interfacial adhesion property of thin films was characterized by the critical strain energy release rate in the nano-mechanical fracture test. The interfacial adhesion of PZT thin films assessed by nano-indentation and nano-scratch fracture models are in good agreement. For PZT ferroelectric thin films with thickness 350 nm, the interfacial adhesion was found to be 0.921–35.468 J/m2. The averaged elastic modulus and indentation hardness are 120.95 and 13 GPa, respectively.