Elastic and anelastic relaxation behaviour of perovskite multiferroics II: PbZr0.53Ti0.47O3(PZT)-PbFe0.5Ta0.5O3(PFT).
Elastic and anelastic properties of ceramic samples of multiferroic perovskites with nominal compositions across the binary join PbZr0.53Ti0.47O3-PbFe0.5Ta0.5O3(PZT-PFT) have been assembled to create a binary phase diagram and to address the role of strain relaxation associated with their phase transitions. Structural relationships are similar to those observed previously for PbZr0.53Ti0.47O3-PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3(PZT-PFN), but the magnitude of the tetragonal shear strain associated with the ferroelectric order parameter appears to be much smaller. This leads to relaxor character for the development of ferroelectric properties in the end member PbFe0.5Ta0.5O3. As for PZT-PFN, there appear to be two discrete instabilities rather than simply a reorientation of the electric dipole in the transition sequence cubic-tetragonal-monoclinic, and the second transition has characteristics typical of an improper ferroelastic. At intermediate compositions, the ferroelastic microstructure has strain heterogeneities on a mesoscopic length scale and, probably, also on a microscopic scale. This results in a wide anelastic freezing interval for strain-related defects rather than the freezing of discrete twin walls that would occur in a conventional ferroelastic material. In PFT, however, the acoustic loss behaviour more nearly resembles that due to freezing of conventional ferroelastic twin walls. Precursor softening of the shear modulus in both PFT and PFN does not fit with a Vogel-Fulcher description, but in PFT there is a temperature interval where the softening conforms to a power law suggestive of the role of fluctuations of the order parameter with dispersion along one branch of the Brillouin zone. Magnetic ordering appears to be coupled only weakly with a volume strain and not with shear strain but, as with multiferroic PZT-PFN perovskites, takes place within crystals which have significant strain heterogeneities on different length scales.
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ UK.
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Schiemer
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ UK.
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Lascu
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ UK.
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Harrison
CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi, 110012 India.
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Kumar
Department of Physics and Institute for Functional Nanomaterials, University of Puerto Rico, PO Box 23334, San Juan, PR 00931-3334 USA.
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Katiyar
Department of Physics and Institute for Functional Nanomaterials, University of Puerto Rico, PO Box 23334, San Juan, PR 00931-3334 USA.
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Sanchez
Department of Physics and Institute for Functional Nanomaterials, University of Puerto Rico, PO Box 23334, San Juan, PR 00931-3334 USA.
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Ortega
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Nöthnitzer Straße 40, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
C Salazar
CS
Mejia
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Nöthnitzer Straße 40, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
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Schnelle
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HE UK.
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Shinohara
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HE UK.
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Heap
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HE UK.
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Nagaratnam
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HE UK.
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Dutton
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HE UK ; School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS UK.
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Scott
Department of Materials Science, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge, CB3 0FS UK.
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Nair
Department of Materials Science, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge, CB3 0FS UK.
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Mathur
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ UK.
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Carpenter