Compositional disorder, polar nanoregions and dipole dynamics in Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-based relaxor ferroelectrics

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1524/zkri.2011.1299· OSTI ID:1048740

Bokov, Alexei A. ^[1]; Rodriguez, Brian ^[2]; Zhao, X ^[3]; Ko, JH ^[4]; Jesse, Stephen ^[5]; Long, X ^[1]; Qu, W ^[3]; Kim, TH ^[4]; Budai, John D ^[5]; Morozovska, A. N. ^[6]; Kojima, S ^[7]; Tan, X ^[3]; Kalinin, Sergei V ^[5]; Ye, Z. -G. ^[1]

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1. Simon Fraser University, Canada
2. University College, Dublin
3. Iowa State University
4. Hallym University, Korea
5. ORNL
6. National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine
7. University of Tsukuba, Japan

The complex structure of relaxor ferroelectrics comprises polar nanoregions (PNRs) which appear upon cooling below the Burns temperature and quenched compositional (chemical) disorder. The relation between the polar nanostructure and compositionally ordered regions (CORs) often observed in relaxors has been the subject of extensive theoretical investigations; however, the experimental data, especially concerning Pb(B0 1=3B00 2=3)O3-type complex perovskite relaxors, are rather limited. In this paper, we analyse and discuss the results of our recent investigations of the morphology of CORs and the dynamics of PNRs in Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-based solid solutions in which the degree of compositional disorder was varied by means of changing the composition and/or by means of high-temperature annealing. The samples were characterised using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, piezoresponse force microscopy, Brillouin light scattering, dielectric spectroscopy, as well as by measuring pyroelectric effect and ferroelectric hysteresis loops. No influence of the size of CORs on the PNRs relaxation in the ergodic relaxor phase is found. Instead, the CORs size influences significantly the diffuseness of the transition from the field-induced ferroelectric phase to the ergodic relaxor state. The results are interpreted in the framework of a model suggesting the coexistence of static and dynamic PNRs in the ergodic relaxor phase.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1048740
• Journal Information: Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie, Vol. 226, Issue 2; ISSN 0044-2968
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ANNEALING
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
DIPOLES
HYSTERESIS
LIGHT SCATTERING
MICROSCOPY
MORPHOLOGY
NANOSTRUCTURES
PEROVSKITE
PYROELECTRIC EFFECT
RELAXATION
SOLID SOLUTIONS
SPECTROSCOPY
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
X-RAY DIFFRACTION