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Title: Structural properties of Sr{sub 0.61}Ba{sub 0.39}Nb{sub 2}O{sub 6} in the temperature range 10-500 K investigated by high-resolution neutron powder diffraction and specific heat measurements

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
; ;  [1]; ;  [2];  [3]; ;  [4]
  1. Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, ETH and PSI, CH-5232 Villigen, PSI (Switzerland)
  2. Institut fuer Mineralogie, University at Cologne, D-50674 Cologne(Germany)
  3. Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague 8 (Czech Republic)
  4. Fachbereich Physik, University of Osnabrueck, D-49069 Osnabrueck (Germany)

We report high-resolution neutron powder diffraction on Sr{sub 0.61}Ba{sub 0.39}Nb{sub 2}O{sub 6} in the temperature range 15-500 K. The results indicate that the low-temperature anomalies (T{<=}100 K) observed in the dielectric dispersion are due to small changes in the incommensurate modulation of the NbO{sub 6} octahedra, as no structural phase transition of the average structure was observed. This interpretation is supported by specific heat measurements, which show no latent heat, but a glass-like behavior at low temperatures. Furthermore, we find that the structural changes connected with the ferroelectric phase transition at T{sub c}{approx_equal}350 K start already at 200 K, explaining the anisotropic thermal expansion in the temperature range 200-300 K observed in a recent x-ray diffraction study.

OSTI ID:
20853734
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 74, Issue 13; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.74.134103; (c) 2006 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English