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Alternating and direct current field effects on the dielectric response of La-modified lead zirconate titanate

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.364120· OSTI ID:435110
;  [1]
  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana--Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)

The complex dielectric responses of various La-modified lead zirconate titanate ceramic specimens have been measured under various ac drive and dc bias conditions. Investigations were performed for different La concentrations on specimens with Zr/Ti ratios of 40/60 and 65/35. These investigations demonstrated that the influence of increasing ac drive and dc bias are in opposition: increasing drive results in an increase in the dielectric constant, whereas increasing bias results in a decrease. Investigations as a function of La content revealed a strong decrease in the ac-induced nonlinearities with increasing La content in the compositional range near a crossover between micron-sized domains and tweedlike structures. The ac drive dependent dielectric data were then empirically fitted to a power series expansion in the ac field. An anomalous change in sign of the second-order nonlinearity was found for lower La-content compositions near the temperature of the dielectric maximum. It is believed that this change in sign results from a suppression of ferroelectric order and the stabilization of a paraelectric state at temperatures close to the ferroelectric phase transformation. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

OSTI ID:
435110
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 81; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English