Abstract
Ultrasonic atomic force microscopy (UAFM) was used to investigate the elasticity variation on domain boundary (DB) in lead zirconate titanate (PZT). The UAFM imaged the change in contact stiffness not only among grains but also on the DB. According to an analysis, the contact stiffness of the DB was approximately 10% lower than that within the domain. This is the first direct evidence of the variation of the elasticity due to the DB. The implication of this finding is that the low stiffness at the DB may affect the piezoelectricity of PZT and the easy mobility of the DB under a stress and electric field, which are important for not only actuator applications but also high-speed writing memory applications.