Harvey Amorín

Synthesis and characterization of lead-free 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 ceramic

Polycrystalline sample of lead-free 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 ceramic has been synthesized by solid state reaction method. Single-phase perovskite structure with rhombohedral symmetry was confirmed by x-ray diffraction. Temperature dependent dielectric permittivity studies demonstrated frequency independent behavior, indicating that the studied sample was not a typical relaxor ferroelectric. A polymorphic phase transition between rhombohedral and tetragonal phase was noticed near room temperature followed by a tetragonal to cubic transition with 97 °C as the temperature of maximum permittivity. The macroscopic values of d33 and d31 were ∼350 pC/N and −141 pm/V, whereas the electromechanical coupling factors kp and kt were 44.5% and 41.6%, respectively. Bulk P-E hysteresis loop was obtained with saturation polarization 11 μC/cm2 and coercive field ∼4 kV/cm. Distinct polarization contrast with a complex mosaic-like domain structure was observed in the out-of-plane mode of piezoresponse force m...

Macroscopic ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity in nanostructured BiScO3–PbTiO3 ceramics

We have studied the macroscopic electrical properties of highly dense, nanostructured ceramics of BiScO3–PbTiO3 with high Curie temperature and piezoelectric activity. Materials were processed by spark plasma sintering of nanocrystalline powder obtained by mechanosynthesis. Results indicate that the nanostructured material still presents the ferroelectric transition above 700K. Ferroelectric switching is unambiguously demonstrated. Furthermore, ceramic disks were poled and their radial piezoelectric resonance was excited, which has not been achieved in nanostructured BaTiO3 ceramics.

Very high remnant polarization and phase-change electromechanical response of BiFeO3-PbTiO3 at the multiferroic morphotropic phase boundary

We have investigated the occurrence of phase-change functional responses in the BiFeO3-PbTiO3 perovskite solid solution, analogous to those anticipated by a recent first-principles study of BiFeO3-BiCoO3. Like the former system, BiFeO3-PbTiO3 shows a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between multiferroic polymorphs of rhombohedral and tetragonal symmetries. MPB BiFeO3-PbTiO3 is a high temperature ferroelectric with the phase transition around 900 K, and a room temperature square-shape hysteresis loop with remnant polarization as high as 62 μC cm−2. Strain under the electric field was studied, and a phase-change response was found. Analogous magnetoelectric effects are expected from the multiferroic nature of this MPB.

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy of phonons and polar nanoclusters in PbMg 1 / 3 Nb 2 / 3 O 3 − 35 % PbTiO 3 ceramics: Grain size effects

Dielectric response e*(f,T) and polar phonon spectra of coarse grain (grain size ~ 4 mkm) and fine grain (grain size ~ 150 nm) ceramics of PbMg_(1/3)Nb_(2/3)O3-35%PbTiO3 were investigated at temperatures 10 - 900 K. e*(f,T) in coarse-grain ceramics exhibits relaxor behavior at high temperatures and a sharp anomaly at the ferroelectric phase transition. The fine-grain ceramics exhibit mainly relaxor ferroelectric behavior with a smaller dielectric constant. The difference is explained by different relaxational dynamics of polar nanoclusters, which appear to be more stabilized at high temperatures in the fine-grain ceramics by pinning at grain boundaries. Below Tc, the growth of ferroelectric domains is suppressed in fine-grain ceramics as supported also by a second harmonic generation. On the other hand, polar phonon frequencies and their temperature dependences are almost independent of the grain size, but the selection rules for the cubic symmetry are not obeyed and all phonons are split due to a locally broken symmetry by polar nanoregions and chemical disorder. The lowest-frequency polar phonon undergoes partial softening down to ~ 0.1 THz near Tc = 440 K in both ceramics, but the dielectric anomaly is caused predominantly by flipping and breathing of polar nanoclusters. Due to contribution of both the soft phonon mode and dielectric relaxations into the dielectric constant, the ferroelectric phase transition, which corresponds to the percolation threshold of the polar nanoregions into macroscopic domains, can be considered as a special case of crossover between the displacive and order-disorder type.

High-field electromechanical response of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3?Bi0.5K0.5TiO3 across its morphotropic phase boundary

Lead-free (1 − x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–xBi0.5K0.5TiO3 [(BNKTx); x = 0.18, 0.20, 0.22, 0.24] piezoelectric ceramics were prepared via conventional solid-state reactions. Phase characterization using x-ray diffraction showed coexistence of perovskite rhombohedral and tetragonal polymorphs as anticipated for compositions across the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). Electrical and electromechanical properties were studied as a function of x. Permittivity and polarization figures were comparable to the best values previously reported. Largest piezoelectric and high field electromechanical responses were obtained for BNKT0.20 samples, considered to have optimum MPB phases. This material exhibited giant field-induced strains of 0.13% and 0.38% under electric fields of 1 and 2.4 kV mm−1 at room temperature by a phase-change mechanism. Figures are comparable to those reported for other BNT-based systems, but under significantly lower driving fields, which is a clear advantage for actuation.

Apparent vanishing of ferroelectricity in nanostructured BiScO3–PbTiO3

Nanostructured ceramics of high-temperature piezoelectric 0.375BiScO3?0.625PbTiO3 were prepared by spark plasma sintering of nanocrystalline powders obtained by mechanosynthesis. The macroscopic electrical properties were characterized on dense ceramics with decreasing average grain size down to 28?nm. Results indicate that the electric field is screened by the electrically insulating grain boundaries at the nanoscale, which needs to be considered when discussing size effects in ferroelectric polycrystalline materials. Moreover, the requirement of increasingly large electric fields to achieve a given polarization with the decrease in the grain size, together with the depletion of the dielectric anomaly associated with the ferroelectric transition until its disappearance, seems to be the result of grain boundary effects.

Multiferroism and enhancement of material properties across the morphotropic phase boundary of BiFeO3-PbTiO3

Strong phase-change magnetoelectric responses have been anticipated by a first-principles investigation of phases in the perovskite BiFeO3-BiCoO3 solid solution, specifically at the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between the multiferroic rhombohedral and tetragonal polymorphs. This might be a general property of multiferroic MPBs and a novel promising approach for room temperature magnetoelectricity, which requires the identification of suitable material systems. We present here a comprehensive description of the electrical and electromechanical properties across one such system; the perovskite BiFeO3-PbTiO3 solid solution. All the temperature dependence of dielectric permittivity, ferroelectric hysteresis loops, and piezoelectric coefficients have been obtained, and are discussed in relation to the previously reported perovskite structural evolution. Results show ceramic materials to be very promising for ferroelectric random access memories (remnant polarization as high as 63 μC cm−2 with a comparati...

Dielectric properties of the La3+ doped Sr0.3-3y/2LayBa0.7Nb2O6 ceramic system

Abstract A process for obtaining Sr 0.3− 3y 2 La y Ba 0.7 Nb 2 O 6 (LSBN) ceramics at different concentrations of the La3+ cation and different sintering times is presented. The dielectric properties of the LSBN system where Sr2+ ions are substituted by La3+ cations follow the pattern of a modification by cationic substitution for a constant Sr Ba ratio. This behavior of the dielectric properties indicate that the La3+ cations occupy the A1 as well as the A2 sites which favors the formation of the LSBN system up to y

Effect of La3+ doping on the polarization of the LSBN ceramic system

The effect of the lanthanum cation as a dopant in the polarization of the Sr0.3−3y2LayBa0.7Nb2O6 system where y = 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05 is studied. The behavior of the spontaneous polarization and the pyroelectric coefficient obtained by means of the direct integration technique, indicates us that the lanthanum produces an increment of the polarization in the material for values of the composition up to 3%. As the dopant concentration increases toward 5% these properties start to decrease due essentially to a solubility saturation of the substituted ions in the SBN solid solution. This behavior is corroborated through dielectric hysteresis measurements using a modified Sawyer-Tower circuit.

Acoustic wave transmission through piezoelectric structured materials

This paper deals with the transmission of acoustic waves through multilayered piezoelectric materials. It is modeled in an octet formalism via the hybrid matrix of the structure. The theoretical evolution with the angle and frequency of the transmission coefficients of ultrasonic plane waves propagating through a partially depoled PZT plate is compared to finite element calculations showing that both methods are in very good agreement. The model is then used to study a periodic stack of 0.65 PMN-0.35 PT/0.90 PMN-0.10 PT layers. The transmission spectra are interpreted in terms of a dispersive behavior of the critical angles of longitudinal and transverse waves, and band gap structures are analysed. Transmission measurements confirm the theoretical calculations and deliver an experimental validation of the model.