Intrinsic ferroelectric coercive field

The Landau-Ginzburg theory of ferroelectricity predicts the intrinsic coerc ive field for polarization reversal, but the observed extrinsic coercive fi eld is always much smaller as a result of nucleation, dynamic processes not covered by the static theory. We have realized the intrinsic coercive fiel d for the first time, in two-dimensional Langmuir-Blodgett polymer films as thin as 1 nm. The measured coercive field is in good agreement with the th eoretical intrinsic value, exhibits the expected dependence on temperature, and does not depend on thickness below 15 nm.