Piezoelectric nanoindentation (PNI) has been developed to quantitatively address electromechanical coupling and pressure-induced dynamic phenomena in ferroelectric materials on the nanoscale. In PNI, an oscillating voltage is applied between the back side of the sample and the indenter tip, and the first harmonic of bias-induced surface displacement at the area of indenter contact is detected. PNI is implemented using a standard nanoindentation system equipped with a continuous stiffness measurement system. The piezoresponse of polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and BaTiO3 piezoceramics was studied during a standard nanoindentation experiment. For PZT, the response was found to be load independent, in agreement with theoretical predictions. In polycrystalline barium titanate, a load dependence of the piezoresponse was observed. The potential of piezoelectric nanoindentation for studies of phase transitions and local structure-property relations in piezoelectric materials is discussed.
