title: Lattice parameters and structural phase transition of lanthanum titanate perovskite, La0.68(Ti0.95,Al0.05)O3.
abstract: Lattice parameters and the structural phase transition of La(0.68)(Ti(0.95),Al(0.05))O(3) have been investigated in situ in the temperature range 301-689 K by the synchrotron radiation powder diffraction (SR-PD) technique. High-angular-resolution SR-PD is confirmed to be a powerful technique for determining precise lattice parameters around a phase-transition temperature. The title compound exhibits a reversible phase transition between orthorhombic and tetragonal phases at 622.3 +/- 0.6 K. The following results were obtained: (i) the lattice parameters increased continuously with temperature, while the b/a ratio decreased continuously with temperature and became unity at the orthorhombic-tetragonal transition point; (ii) no hysteresis was observed between the lattice-parameter values measured on heating and on cooling. Results (i) and (ii) indicate that the orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition is continuous and reversible. The b/a ratio is found to exhibit a more continuous temperature evolution than does the order parameter for a typical second-order phase transition based on Landau theory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Roushown
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Masatomo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yashima