The existence of a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reversed by an applied electric field. A polar material is not necessarily switchable under useful conditions.
Application of an electric field to favour ferroelectric domains whose polarization aligns with the field, leaving a net remanent polarization. In a ceramic the crystal grains remain differently oriented; domain switching does not align their crystallographic axes.
A region with a consistent orientation of spontaneous electric polarization. Antiparallel domains can give opposite signs of piezoresponse force microscopy response.
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Ferroelectricity is a property of certain materials that exhibit a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reoriented by an external electric field. This means that, unlike ordinary dielectric materials that only polarize in response to an applied electric field, ferroelectric materials can maintain a permanent electric polarization even when the external field is removed.