Revival of Layered Ferroelectrics in Thin Films

Layered perovskites form a versatile class of ferroelectrics in which structural anisotropy gives rise to periodic electrostatics and, consequently, unconventional ferroelectric properties. These materials fall into four main families: Aurivillius, Carpy-Galy, Ruddlesden-Popper, and Dion-Jacobson phases, each forming natural superlattices by interleaving perovskite slabs with spacer layers. For a long time, these materials were considered too structurally complex to prepare as high-quality thin films. However, recent breakthroughs in deposition and advanced characterization have made it possible to stabilize epitaxial films with atomic-scale control, uncovering novel ferroelectric functionalities. These include robust in-plane polarization without a critical thickness, the emergence of charged domain walls and non-trivial polar textures, resilience to doping with magnetic ions and charge carriers, and the possibility to epitaxially integrate them into standard perovskite heterostructures. This review aims to unify current knowledge on the fabrication and characterization of layered ferroelectric thin films, and to present research findings across all four structural families, with the goal of highlighting their common features despite differences in crystal structure and polarization mechanisms. We also discuss promising research directions, including polar metallicity, (alter-)magnetoelectricity, exfoliation, and soft-chemistry-driven phase transformations, hoping to encourage exploration of these materials for both fundamental studies and applications.