Polar nanodomains and relaxor behaviour in (1 − x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–xPbTiO3 crystals with x = 0.3–0.5

Phase transitions and dielectric properties of the (1 − x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–xPbTiO₃ crystals with x = 0.3–0.5 are studied. The solid solutions in this composition range are shown to be relaxor ferroelectrics. The crystals with low x demonstrate a diffused maximum in the temperature dependences of the dielectric permittivity at T_m. T_m varies with frequency according to the Vogel–Fulcher law. The polarizing microscopy investigations reveal a first-order phase transition from the relaxor phase to the low-temperature ferroelectric phase at T_C, which is several degrees below T_m. The permittivity peak in the crystals with x = 0.5 is sharp, and T_m is equal to T_C and does not depend on frequency, as is typical of the transition from a ferroelectric to an ordinary paraelectric phase. Nevertheless, the relaxor, but not the paraelectric, phase is observed at T > T_m. This conclusion is confirmed by the observation of the temperature behaviour of complex dielectric permittivity at T > T_m, which is typical of relaxors and related to the existence of polar nanodomains.     

Structure and electrical properties of (100)-oriented Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 thin films on La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 electrode by chemical solution deposition

(100)-oriented 0.462Pb(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–0.308Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–0.23PbTiO₃ (PZN-PMN-PT) perovskite ferroelectric thin films were prepared on La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃/LaAlO₃ (LSMO/LAO) substrate via a chemical solution deposition route. The perovskite LSMO electrode was found to effectively suppress the pyrochlore phase while promote the growth of the perovskite phase in the PZN-PMN-PT film. The film annealed at 700 °C exhibited a high dielectric constant of 2130 at 1 kHz, a remnant polarization, 2P_r, of 29.8 μC/cm², and a low leakage current density of 7.2 × 10^− 7 A/cm² at an applied field of 200 kV/cm. The ferroelectric polarization was fatigue-free at least up to 10¹⁰ cycles. Piezoelectric coefficient, d₃₃, of 48 pm/V was also demonstrated. The results showed that much superior properties could be achieved with the PZN-PMN-PT thin films on the solution derived LSMO electrode than on Pt electrode by sputtering.     

Effect of Ca2PbO4 on the formation of the (2223) phase in the Bi---Pb---Sr---Ca---Cu---O system

The effect of excess Ca₂PbO₄ on the superconducting properties of Bi_1.7Pb_0.3Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_yB_x (B ≡ Ca₂PbO₄) is investigated through X-ray diffraction, resistivity and a.c. magnetic susceptibility measurements. The Xpray diffraction results show that the volume friction of the low T_c (221s) phase decreases and that of (2223) phase increases with the addition of Ca₂PbO₄. For x = 0.6 and 1.5, only the (2223) phase exists. At higher Ca₂PbO₄ concentrations, i.e. for x = 3.0, the low T_c phase again appears along with the high T_c phase. Diffraction peaks appear at d = 2.02, 2.814 and 2.85, which are characteristic peaks of Ca₂PbO₄, and their intensities increase with increasing x, indicating that Ca₂PbO₄ exists in the lattice in the same form. However, the T_c(0) values decreased gradually from 107 to 98 K with increasing Ca₂PbO₄ concentration. Compared with the undoped sample, the width of the transition δT_c is broad for impurity-added samples and reaches a maximum value for x = 3.0. Pure and Ca₂PbO₄-doped samples showed two peaks in ξ″ vs. T curves and two steps in ξ′ vs. T curves. The first peak is close to the transition temperature and corresponds to the midpoint of the first step in the ξ′ curve. The second peak appears below 98 K and this peak maximum corresponds to the midpoint of the second step. The position of both sets of peaks remained almost the same up to x = 1.5 and shifted towards lower temperatures thereafter. The role of Ca₂PbO₄ in the growth of the (2223) phase and the mechanism of energy loss are discussed.     

Dielectric Properties of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3-La(B0.5Ti0.5)O3 (B=Mg, Zn) Ceramics

Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃-La(B_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃ (B = Mg, Zn) ceramics were prepared by a solid-state reaction method, and their microwave dielectric characteristics and tunability were investigated. The ferroelectric-dielectric solid solutions with cubic perovskite structures were obtained for compositions of 10 to 60 mol% La(Mg_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃ and 10 to 50 mol% La(Zn_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃. With the increase of linear oxide dielectric content, the dielectric constant and tunability were decreased and Qf was increased. Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃-La(Mg_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃ has better dielectric properties than Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃-La(Zn_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃. 0.9Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃-0.1La(Mg_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃ has a dielectric constant ε = 338.2, Qf = 979 GHz and a tunability of was 3.7% at 100 kHz under 1.67 kV/mm. The Qf value of 0.5Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃- 0.5La(Mg_0.5Ti_0.5)O₃ reached 9367 GHz, but the tunable properties were lost.     

Nanocrystallization of SrBi2Nb2O9 from glasses in the system Li2B4O7---SrO---Bi2O3---Nb2O5

Transparent glasses in the system (100−x)Li₂B₄O₇–x(SrO---Bi₂O₃---Nb₂O₅) (10≤x≤60) (in molar ratio) were fabricated by a conventional melt-quenching technique. Amorphous and glassy characteristics of the as-quenched samples were established via X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and differential thermal analyses (DTA) respectively. Glass–ceramics embedded with strontium bismuth niobate, SrBi₂Nb₂O₉ (SBN) nanocrystals were produced by heat-treating the as-quenched glasses at temperatures higher than 500 °C. Perovskite SBN phase formation through an intermediate fluorite phase in the glass matrix was confirmed by XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Infrared and Raman spectroscopic studies corroborate the observation of fluorite phase formation. The dielectric constant (_r) and the loss factor (D) for the lithium borate, Li₂B₄O₇ (LBO) glass comprising randomly oriented SBN nanocrystals were determined and compared with those predicted based on the various dielectric mixture rule formalism. The dielectric constant was found to increase with increasing SBN content in LBO glass matrix.     

Microwave dielectric characteristics of Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 ceramics sintered at low-temperatures

The microwave dielectric properties and microstructures of Ba(Mg_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃ (BMT) ceramics sintered at low temperatures with 2–3 wt.% NaF additives were investigated. BMT ceramics sintered at 1340 °C for 3–12 h showed dielectric constants (_r) of 25.5–25.7, Qf values of 41 500–50 400 GHz and temperature coefficients of the resonator frequency (τ_f) of 10.9–21.4 ppm °C⁻¹. The variation of sintering time almost had no effect on the dielectric constant. The Qf value increased and the τ_f decreased with increasing sintering time. The ordering degree of Mg²⁺ and Ta⁵⁺ at B-sites increased with increasing sintering time.     

Effects of growth conditions on the domain structure and dielectric properties of (1 − x)Pb(Sc1/2Nb1/2)O3–xPbTiO3 single crystals

The studies of the (1 − x)Pb(Sc_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃–xPbTiO₃ (PSN–PT) single crystals reveal that the chemical and physical properties of the materials are affected by the growth conditions. By the measurements of the dielectric constant as a function of temperature upon cooling, it is found that crystals grown from the same charged stoichiometric composition (x = 0.425), but under different flux environments (i.e. the composition of flux and the flux to PSN–PT ratios are varied), show anomalies (i.e. phase transitions) at different temperatures. This phenomenon is attributed to the complex local chemical structure of the PSN–PT solid solution single crystals with B-site random occupancy of three different cations (Sc³⁺, Nb⁵⁺ and Ti⁴⁺). The dielectric and domain structure of the PSN–PT crystals with composition near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) are investigated, showing much more complex situations compared with Pb(Sc_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃.     

Effect of precursor solution on the formation of perovskite phase of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 thin films

Precursor solutions for Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (PMN) synthesis were obtained by Pechini's method. The influence of the concentration of organic materials on the phase formation has been studied. For this purpose, PMN solutions were prepared with different precursors and were characterized by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The obtained solutions were deposited onto a Si (100) substrate by dip coating and pre-treated in a hot plate at 300 °C for 1 h. The films were annealed at 600, 700, 800 and 900 °C for 1 h and characterized by X-ray diffraction. The perovskite phase was formed after annealing at 600 and 700 °C when the solution of PMN was prepared with a lower amount of organic material and starting with niobium oxide. By increasing the temperature to 800 or 900 °C, only the formation of pyrochlore phase was observed. With the solution prepared from niobium ethoxide, only the presence of pyrochlore phase was observed independently of the annealing temperature.     

Conduction analysis of Li2O doped 0.2[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)]–0.8[PbTiO3–PbZrO3] ceramics fabricated by columbite precursor method

We have fabricated 0.2Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–0.8Pb(Zr_0.475Ti_0.525)O₃ [PMN–PZT] ceramics doped with various amounts of Li₂O (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 wt.%) using the columbite precursor method. The effects of Li-doping on the conduction behavior of PMN–PZT ceramics are discussed in relation to the low frequency dielectric dispersion and frequency domain measurement. The Li-doped PMN–PZT ceramics sintered at 950 °C showed a sufficient densification with large dielectric constant and low dielectric loss. The incorporation of Li⁺ ion in PMN–PZT ceramics led to an appreciable reduction in electrical conductivity and further enhanced the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties. The activation energies of PMN–PZT + xLi₂O (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 wt.%) ceramics calculated from ac conductivity measurement using the Arrhenius relation were 1.05, 1.25, 1.27, 1.38 and 1.41 eV, respectively. The conduction behavior is examined in the low frequency and high temperature region and the results are discussed in detail through crystal defect mechanism.     

Optical transitions near the band edge in bulk CuInxGa1−xSe2 from ellipsometric measurements

From the analysis of the variation of optical absorption coefficient with incident photon energy between 0.8 and 2.6 eV, obtained from ellipsometric data, the energy E_G of the fundamental absorption edge and E_G′ of the forbidden direct transition for CuIn_xGa_1−xSe₂ alloys are estimated. The change in E_G and the spin-orbit splitting Δ_SO=E_G′−E_G with the composition x can be represented by parabolic expression of the form E_G(x)=E_G(0)+ax+bx² and Δ_SO(x)=Δ_SO(0)+a′x+b′x², respectively. b and b′ are called “bowing parameters”. Theoretical fit gives a=0.875 eV, b=0.198 eV, a′=0.341 eV and b′=−0.431 eV. The positive sign of b and negative sign of b′ are in agreement with the theoretical prediction of Wei and Zunger [Phys. Rev. B 39 (1989) 6279].     

Varistors based on n-BaTiO3 ceramics

Stable and highly reproducible voltage-limiting characteristics have been observed at room temperature for polycrystalline ceramics prepared from donor-doped BaTiO₃ solid solutions containing isovalent lattice substitute ions that lower the Curie point T_c. When the ambient temperature T_a is decreased such that T_a < T_c, the same ceramics show current-limiting behaviour. The leakage current, the breakdown voltage and the non-linear coefficient ( = 30−50) could be varied with grain-boundary layer (GBL) modifiers and postsintering annealing. The magnitude of the abnormally high dielectric constant (ε_r 10⁵) indicates the prevalence of GBL capacitance in these ceramics. Analyses of the current-voltage relations show that GBL conduction at T_a < T_c corresponds to tunnelling across asymmetric barriers formed under steady state Joule heating. At T_a > T_c, trap-related conduction gives way to tunnelling across symmetric barriers as the field strength increases.     

Structure and ferroelectric properties of Bi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O3-(Bi1/2K1/2)TiO3 perovskite solid solutions

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics based on χBi(Zn_1/2Ti_1/2)O₃-(1-χ)(Bi_1/2K_1/2)TiO₃ were obtained via solid state processing techniques. A single perovskite phase with tetragonal symmetry was obtained for Bi(Zn_1/2Ti_1/2)O₃ (BZT) substitutions up to 20 mol%. The maximum density was 97.1% at the composition of χ = 0.1. The dielectric measurement indicated that the transition temperature decreased linearly with increasing BZT content. The P-E loops revealed an increase in remanent polarization (P_r) with the addition of BZT. The maximum planar coupling coefficient, κ_r, for the χ = 0.1 composition was 21.6 and the piezoelectric coefficient, d₃₃, for χ = 0, χ = 0.05, and χ = 0.1 was 108, 185, and 235 pm/V, respectively. Overall, the dielectric and piezoelectric properties showed significant improvement when BZT was added.     

Raman scattering study on ferroelectric (Ba0.32Sr0.68)2Nb2O7 ceramics

Raman scattering technique was applied to examine the Ba-doping effect to the two low temperature phase transitions of Sr₂Nb₂O₇ (SN) in the temperature range from −190 to 600 °C. The line shape of Raman spectra can be well fitted by multidamped harmonic oscillator model. We did not observe any soft mode related to the two low temperature phase transitions corresponding to those of the pure SN. It is correlated to the disappearance of the incommensurate phase in (Ba_0.32Sr_0.68)₂Nb₂O₇ ceramics. However, the temperature dependence behavior of the three low frequency modes indicates another new structural phase transition around 270 °C. It is considered that the reduction of the interlayer interaction caused by partial replacement of Sr-site by Ba-site, whose ionic radius is larger than that of Sr, may be the reason for the disappearance of the incommensurate phase transition in (Ba_0.32Sr_0.68)₂Nb₂O₇ ceramics.     

Structure and electrical properties of boron-added (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin films fabricated by the sol-gel method

Thin films of Ba_xSr_1−xTiO₃ (BST, with x=0.5) were fabricated on a RuO₂/Ru/SiO₂/Si substrate by the spin coating of the multicomponent sol prepared using metal alkoxides. Boron alkoxide was intentionally introduced to establish a better microstructure and to reduce the leakage current. AFM indicated that a crack-free uniform microstructure having a smooth surface was gradually developed with increasing boron content. The relative dielectric permittivity of the 250-nm thick BST thin films fired at 700°C decreased with increasing content of boron, from 420 for the undoped film to 190 for the 10 mol% boron-added film at 1 MHz. This observation was interpreted in terms of a serial capacitance composed of the perovskite BST grain and the interfacial B₂O₃ glassy phase having a low dielectric permittivity. The leakage current density (J) also decreased with the amount of boron added. The leakage current for the applied voltage greater than 1 V showed a linear variation of logJ with E^1/2 at room temperature, suggesting that the interface-controlled Schottky emission was the dominant conduction process for the BST thin films fabricated on the RuO₂ electrode.     

Dielectric properties of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3-Sr(Ga0.5Ta0.5)O3 solid solutions

Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃-Sr(Ga_0.5Ta,sub>0.5)O₃ solid solutions are prepared by a solid-state reaction method, and their dielectric and tunable characteristics are investigated. The solid solutions with cubic perovskite structures are obtained for compositions of 10-50 mol% Sr(Ga_0.5Ta_0.5)O₃. It is observed that the addition of Sr(Ga_0.5Ta_0.5)O₃ into Ba_0.6Sr,sub>0.4TiO₃ causes a shift in the phase transition peak to a lower temperature. Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃-Sr(Ga_0.5Ta,sub>0.5)O₃ solid solutions exhibit depressed and broadened phase transition peaks, resulting in decreased dielectric constants and dielectric losses at room temperature. With the increase of Sr(Ga_0.5Ta_0.5)O₃ content, the dielectric constant, loss tangent, and tunability are decreased. 0.9Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃-0.1Sr(Ga_0.5Ta,sub>0.5)O₃ has a dielectric constant ϵ = 534 and a tunability of 16% at 100 kHz under 2.63 kV/mm. The dielectric characteristics of Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃-Sr(Ga_0.5Ta,sub>0.5)O₃ ceramics at microwave frequencies are also evaluated.     

Tb掺杂双钙钛矿氧化物Pr2CoMnO6的磁热效应

采用高温固相反应法制备双钙钛矿氧化物Pr_(2-x)Tb_xCoMnO₆(x=0,0.05,0.1,0.15)系列陶瓷样品,研究了Tb的掺杂量对Pr₂CoMnO₆样品的居里温度、磁熵变以及磁相变的影响。结果表明:系列样品Pr_(2-x)Tb_xCoMnO₆(x=0,0.05,0.1,0.15)的空间点群为单斜晶系P2₁/n,具有良好的单相性;该组样品均有两个磁转变点(T_C1和T_C2);随着Tb掺杂量的增加T_C1和T_C2均降低下降;在测量温区内,随着温度的降低4个样品均先后经历顺磁态、顺磁-铁磁共存态;该组样品在7 T外加磁场中的最大磁熵变值ΔS_M分别为-1.862、-1.779、-1.768和-1.766 J/(kg·K)。掺杂Tb元素使最大磁熵变值变小,但是拓宽了半高宽温区。结合RCP值可以判断,Pr_1.9Tb_0.1CoMnO₆比其他三个样品更具有作为高温区磁制冷材料的潜能;根据对Arrott曲线、重标定曲线以及Loop曲线的分析,该组样品在此阶段经历了一级相变。     

Strong magnetoelastic effect in Pr1−xCaxMnO3

Manganese oxides with distorted perovskite structure have attracted much attention during the last decade due to their colossal magnetoresistance (CMR), and the strong correlations among the various degrees of freedom involved. In particular, Pr_1−xCa_xMnO₃ compounds present in a wide Ca-doping range a charge ordering phenomenon, consisting of real space ordering of Mn³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ in alternate lattice sites below a certain temperature T_CO. This ordering brings about a lattice distortion and a large hardening of the sound velocity below T_CO. Tomioka et al. have observed that an applied magnetic field can melt this charge ordered state and induce a transition from an insulating to a metallic state. In order to study the effects of this charge order melting, ultrasonic longitudinal sound velocity measurements were performed on polycrystalline Pr_1−xCa_xMnO₃ (x=0.35 and 0.5) as a function of magnetic field and temperature. Interesting anomalies were found related to the melting of the charge ordered phase into a metal-like state even at low temperatures.     

三元陶瓷Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3准同型相界附近组分的介电、铁电和压电性能

铅基复合钙钛矿铁电材料广泛应用于机电传感器、致动器和换能器。二元铁电固溶体Pb(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃- PbTiO₃(PNN-PT)由于其在准同型相界(MPB)区域具有优异的压电、介电性能而备受关注。然而较大的介电损耗和较低的居里温度限制了其在高温高功率器件方面的应用。本研究通过引入Pb(In_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃ (PIN)作为第三组元改善PNN-PT的电学性能, 提高其居里温度; 通过两步法合成了MPB区域的三元铁电陶瓷Pb(In_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃- Pb(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-PbTiO₃ (PIN-PNN-PT), 研究了其结构、介电、铁电和压电性能。制备的所有组分陶瓷具有纯的钙钛矿结构。随着PT含量的增加, 陶瓷结构从三方相转变为四方相。通过XRD分析得到了室温下PIN-PNN-PT体系的MPB相图。体系的居里温度由于PIN的加入得到了很大的提高, 更重要的是PIN的引入降低了PNN-PT体系的介电损耗和电导。MPB处的组分展现出了优异的电学性能, 室温下, 性能最优组分为0.30PIN-0.33PNN-0.37PT: d₃₃=417 pC/N, T_C=200 ℃, ε′= 3206, tanδ=0.033, P_r=33.5 μC/cm², E_C=14.1 kV/cm。引入PNN-PT的PIN第三组元使得体系的居里温度和压电性得到提高的同时降低了的介电损耗和电导率, 因此, PIN-PNN-PT三元铁电陶瓷在高温高功率换能器等方面具备一定的应用潜力。     

Effect of La2O3 addition and O2 atmosphere on the electric properties of SnO2TiO2

The electric properties of (Sn, Ti)O₂ doped with 1.00 mol% CoO, 0.05 mol% Nb₂O₅ and x mol% La₂O₃ (0.25≤x≤1.00) have been studied. Sn_0.25Ti_0.75Co_0.01Nb_0.005 doped with 0.50 mol% La₂O₃ has a nonlinearity coefficient of 6. An increase in the concentration of La₂O₃ raised its resistivity, thereby altering the electric properties of the material. A thermal treatment in oxygen atmosphere increased the nonlinearity coefficient to a value of 9.