Functional Topological Defects: Materials at the Edge of Order

Topological structures in ferroic functional materials such as domain walls and skyrmions attract attention due to their intriguing properties and application potential in nanoelectronics. I will discuss our recent work on various ferroelectric and multiferroic materials systems using scanning probe microscopy as the main investigative tool, which is combined with insight from electron microscopy and ab-initio theory, and discuss future prospects of this evolving research field.