  Domains walls and topological defects in ferroelectric materials have emerged
as a powerful new paradigm for functional electronic devices including memory
and logic. Similarly, wall interactions and dynamics underpin a broad range of
mesoscale phenomena ranging from giant electromechanical responses to memory
effects. Exploring the functionalities of individual domain walls, their
interactions, and controlled modifications of the domain structures is crucial
for applications and fundamental physical studies. However, the dynamic nature
of these features severely limits studies of their local physics since
application of local biases or pressures in piezoresponse force microscopy
induce wall displacement as a primary response. Here, we introduce a
fundamentally new approach for the control and modification of domain
structures based on automated experimentation whereby real space image-based
feedback is used to control the tip bias during ferroelectric switching,
allowing for modification routes conditioned on domain states under the tip.
This automated experiment approach is demonstrated for the exploration of
domain wall dynamics and creation of metastable phases with large
electromechanical response.
