Kinetics of ferroelastic domain switching with and without back-switching events: A phase-field study

Incomplete domain switching in ferroic materials under external stimuli occurs frequently and it significantly affects their performance. In this study, we perform phase-field simulations of ferroelastic domain switching in yttria-stabilized zirconia to investigate the kinetics of domain switching. For a wide range of applied loads, the kinetics of domain switching follows the Kolmogorov-Avrami-Ishibashi (KAI) model. The domain wall velocity remains constant under a constant load but accelerates when the load is gradually increased over time. The steady movement of domain wall is observed to dominate the kinetics of ferroelastic domain switching. The present study reveals that during switching, some degree of back-switching simultaneously may occur depending upon the applied load and microstructures. Also, sharp corners on domain walls intensify the switching activity, and they often promote back-switching during loading, leading to incomplete domain switching. Increase in back-switching is subsequently followed by another re-switching event that ultimately results in a large deviation from KAI model and a greater absorption of applied deformation.