Research on antiferroelectric materials has spanned more than seventy years,
and their unique field-induced phase transition behavior has demonstrated significant application value in dielectric energy storage devices, novel information devices, and thermal management components. With advancements in thin-film growth techniques and the growing
demand for miniaturization and integration of electronic devices, antiferroelectric thin films
have attracted increasing attention. Numerous studies have shown that transitioning from
bulk to thin-film forms, antiferroelectric materials exhibit novel physical properties distinct
from their bulk counterparts, while also facing challenges such as the weakening or even disappearance of antiferroelectricity below a critical thickness due to size effects. In this context, this
article systematically reviews the development history of antiferroelectric materials, from the
physical origin of antiferroelectricity, the structural and phase transition characteristics of typical material systems (including perovskite-structured PbZrO3, PbHfO3, NaNbO3, AgNbO3,
and fluorite-structured HfxZr1−xO2), to their diverse functional device applications such as
energy storage capacitors, antiferroelectric random access memory, antiferroelectric field-effect
transistors, antiferroelectric tunnel junctions, and electrocaloric effects. We hope to attract
more researchers to pay attention to the development of antiferroelectric thin films, to deeply
explore their yet-to-be-fully-revealed microscopic mechanisms, and to jointly promote continuous breakthroughs in new materials, new devices, and new applications of antiferroelectric thin
films.
