Structure-property relationships in lead zinc niobate based ferroelectric ceramics

The region of the (0.9-x)Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O-3-0.1BaTiO(3)-xPbTiO(3) (0.0 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 0.2) phase diagram was established through analysis of the structure and dielectric behavior associated with changes in temperature and composition. The zero-field spontaneous and field-induced relaxer-normal ferroelectric transitions are reported in this ferroelectric system, and this transition corresponds to the rhombohedral-tetragonal first-order phase switching. From careful measurement of the hystersis loop, it is suggested that the microscopic mechanism of spontaneous polarization of the ferroelectric microregion was further correlated with the phase structure. Thus, the thermal hysteresis of micro-macrodomain transition of relaxer ferroelectrics can be explained very well. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)03503-8].