Scientists have observed a three-dimensional woven structure forming spontaneously inside a ferroelectric crystal for the first time. The discovery, published in Light: Science & Applications, reveals a previously unknown mode of self-organization in solid matter.
The phenomenon occurs in specially grown KTN:Li (KLTN) crystals developed by professor Aharon J. Agranat at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During crystal growth, periodic variations in chemical composition create striation gratings that serve as a platform for the new state of matter.
As the crystal cools through its ferroelectric phase transition, electric dipoles spontaneously arrange into an interlaced network that resembles woven fabric. Unlike conventional ferroelectric domains where dipoles align uniformly, these nano-dipole ensembles weave over and under one another in a complex three-dimensional pattern.
An international team led by professors Eugenio Del Re of Sapienza University of Rome, Feifei Xin of Nankai University, and Agranat employed multiple advanced imaging techniques to characterize the structure. The research also involved colleagues from the University of Groningen.
The researchers demonstrated optical control over the woven network. A tightly focused green laser can locally untangle the woven pattern without affecting the surrounding crystal. Heating the crystal and cooling it again restores the woven structure, but with a new pattern each time.
The authors suggest the discovery may represent a broader physical principle. Because the woven network forms through spontaneous symmetry breaking, similar topological structures could emerge in other systems including liquid crystals, superconductors, and quantum materials.
The crystals were originally developed for electroholographic photonic switching applications. The finding indicates they also provide a platform for studying a new form of topological organization in condensed matter.
The study was published as "Spontaneous formation and optical manipulation of a woven domain fabric in a ferroelectric crystal" in Light: Science & Applications (2026), DOI: 10.1038/s41377-026-02374-7.
Never-before-seen woven structure that forms naturally inside a crystal discovered
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