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Nucleation of Rhombohedral Regions Within a Tetragonal Matrix in Mn‐Doped Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 Crystals: Origins of a Diffuse Transformation, Thermal Hysteresis, and Isotropization
Author(s) -
Ge Wenwei,
Yao Jianjun,
Luo Liang,
Devreugd Christopher P.,
Li Jiefang,
Viehland D.,
Zhang Qinhui,
Luo Haosu
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2010.04083.x
Subject(s) - materials science , tetragonal crystal system , nucleation , dielectric , ferroelectricity , bismuth , bismuth titanate , mineralogy , crystallography , curie temperature , condensed matter physics , analytical chemistry (journal) , optics , crystal structure , chemistry , thermodynamics , physics , ferromagnetism , optoelectronics , chromatography , metallurgy
Dielectric, X‐ray diffraction, and domain structure evolution for Mn‐doped sodium bismuth titanate (Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 ) single crystals was investigated as a function of temperature. A notable thermal hysteresis was found at the tetragonal→rhombohedral transition between heating and cooling measurements for the structural and dielectric properties. Domain studies by polarized light microscopy (PLM) revealed a corresponding thermal hysteresis at an isotropization point, where the contrast in the images disappeared but reappeared both at higher and lower temperatures. The images below the isotropization point exhibited stripe‐like color bands, whose contrast became more intense and whose formation temperature on cooling was increased under electric field. Studies by piezoelectric force microscopy revealed fine‐scale ferroelectric domains of about 0.1–0.3 μm in size that existed within these color bands at room temperature.