  Electric Scanning Probe Microscopies are used to characterize the surface
behavior of ferroelectric materials. The effects of local charge density on the
chemistry and physics of ferroelectric surfaces are investigated. The kinetics
and thermodynamics parameters of adsorption are assessed by variable
temperature Scanning Surface Potential Microscopy. Contrast formation mechanism
of Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) is analyzed in detail, and the
contributions of electroelastic constants of the material to response amplitude
are determined. The effect of experimental conditions including indentation
force and tip radius of curvature is elucidated using PFM Contrast Mechanism
Maps. Simple quantitative criterion for non-local cantilever-surface
interactions in PFM is developed.
