FATIGUE OF FERROELECTRIC POLARIZATION AND THE ELECTRIC-FIELD INDUCED STRAIN IN LEAD LANTHANUM ZIRCONATE TITANATE CERAMICS

Fatigue of ferroelectric polarization and the electric field induced strain is investigated in lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramics. Fatigue rate increases as the coercive field or the hysteretic nature of the electric field induced polarization of the ferroelectric ceramics increases. The ferroelectric polarization lost during fatigue can be partly restored by decreasing the frequency and increasing the amplitude of the applied ac electric field. The ferroelectric fatigue is modeled phenomenologically by an increase of the energy barrier for the ferroelectric switching and atomistically by a coupling of the spontaneous polarization with defects and/or space charge in the orientation of ferroelectric fatigue.