Strong interplay between polar and structural topologies

Abstract Topological structures in condensed matter systems unlock new possibilities for the development of nanoelectronic devices. However, the potential of antiferroelectrics to host topological features remains largely unexplored, constrained by significant energy barriers from antiparallel dipole coupling that suppress polarization rotation and challenges in high-quality film fabrication. Here for the first time, we find that, dislocations, the most common one-dimensional topological structures in crystals, exhibit unexpectedly strong couplings with polar topologies and induce ordered polar antihedgehog lattices in antiferroelectric PbZrO3 driven by the interplay of electrostrictive effect and the flexoelectric field. Combined atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy and phase-field simulations, it is revealed that the polarizations converging at dislocation cores and diverging between dislocations define lattices characterized by checkerboard-like antihedgehogs, respectively. Unexpected interplay between polar and structural topologies establishes a new paradigm for topology design.