Why are some special ferroelectrics immune to the depolarization field?

Ferroelectric memory, with its promise of low power consumption, high writing speed and exceptional endurance, requires the scaling of ferroelectric films to ultrathin dimensions—often just a few atomic layers thick. However, such extreme thinning risks destabilizing or even erasing electric polarization, mainly due to the detrimental depolarization field. Remarkably, certain ferroelectrics exhibit an intrinsic immunity to this effect, as predicted theoretically and confirmed experimentally. Examples include improper ferroelectrics, hyper ferroelectrics, engineered heterostructures, and low-dimensional von der Waals ferroelectrics. This review systematically examines these unique materials, unravelling the fundamental physics behind their polarization robustness and the mechanisms enabling them to resist the depolarization field. By bridging theory with experimental advances, we aim to inspire the design of next-generation ferroelectrics capable of overcoming critical challenges encountered in practical ferroelectric memory devices. © The Author(s) 2026.