Y. Gagou

Lead-free Ba0.8Ca0.2(ZrxTi1−x)O3 ceramics with large electrocaloric effect

The electrocaloric effect was investigated in lead-free Zr doped Ba0.8Ca0.2(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (BCTZ) ceramics synthesized by a conventional sintering process. Room-temperature x-ray diffraction analysis showed that the tetragonal structure is obtained in BCTZ for x  ≤ 0.08 and a pseudo cubic phase for x > 0.08. The dielectric spectroscopy and calorimetry revealed that the Curie temperature decreases as a consequence of Zr doping and that the BCTZ exhibits a first order ferroelectric phase transition. The electrocaloric effect was determined by the calculation of the electrocaloric change of temperature (ΔT) using the Maxwell relation based on the P–E hysteresis loops measured at different temperatures. A large electrocaloric responsivity ΔT/ΔE = 0.34 × 10−6 Km/V was found for x = 0.04, which significantly exceeds of values found so far in other lead-free electrocaloric materials.

Ferroelectric BaTiO3/BaZrO3 superlattices: X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and polarization hysteresis loops

Artificial superlattices (SLs) consisting of ferroelectric BaTiO3 (BT) and paraelectric BaZrO3 (BZ) have been growth by a pulsed laser deposition technique. The epitaxial BT and BZ layers with a periodicity from 16 A to 1056 A were sequentially deposited on (001) MgO substrate buffered with an oxide conducting layer of La1/2Sr1/2CoO3. The out-of-plane lattice parameters of the SLs constituents were determined by modeling of the x-ray diffractograms. The results indicate that the polar c-axis of the BT layers lies in the plane of the substrate and BZ layers exhibit enhanced tetragonal distortion which is induced by the mismatch between the alternating BZ and BT layers. The Raman data reinforces this interpretation and suggest a monoclinic phase in BT layers and polar phase in BZ layers. The Raman spectra give evidence of coupling between the constituent layers and a narrowing of the Raman peaks is attributed to a reduction in the disorder of the Ti4+ ions due to the epitaxial strain. This strain is respons...

Synthesis and phase transitions of iron phosphate

Abstract FePO4 is a quartz analogue that presents also an α−β phase transition from a P622 to a P32 phase. We describe in this paper the works done in view of obtaining single crystals, and discuss results showing that an incommensurate phase takes place in between α and β phases in a range of 17 C. The main α−β transition appears to be closer to the tricritical point than in quartz and berlinite.

A new ferroelectric compound: PbK2LiNb5O15

Abstract We present dielectric studies carried out on PbK2LiNb5O15 exhibiting its ferroelectric behaviour: the real part of dielectric constant follows a Curie law, with Tc = 639 K and a Curie constant 1.5x105 K. The structural change involves a first order phase transition evidenced by a thermal hysteresis and a εr′ discontinuity, and also an intermediate phase. An ionic conductivity, probably related with the Li+ ion mobility, is also evidenced.

Highly constrained ferroelectric [BaTiO3](1−x)Λ/[BaZrO3]xΛ superlattices: X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy

We report an x-ray diffraction (XRD) and a Raman-scattering investigation of ferroelectric/paraelectric superlattices [BaTiO3] (1−x)Λ/[BaZrO3]xΛ for which the composition varied, 0.15 ≤ x ≤ 0.85, while the superlattice (SL) modulation period Λ was kept constant at about 100 A. The samples were epitaxially grown by pulsed laser deposition on MgO substrates buffered with La0.5Sr0.5CoO3. Based on the XRD analysis and on polarized Raman spectra, we have showed that the large strain in SLs induced ferroelectricity in BaZrO3 (BZ) for all SLs, a material that is paraelectric in the bulk form at any temperature and in the single film. The induced polar axis in BZ layers is perpendicular to the plane of substrate while BaTiO3 (BT) layers exhibit in-plane polar orientation. Raman spectroscopy revealed a lattice ordering in SLs due to the misfit strain generated by the large lattice mismatch between the alternating BZ and BT layers. This strain induced a huge upward frequency of the lowest E(1TO) soft mode from 60 c...

X-ray diffraction, dielectric, conduction and Raman studies in Na0.925Bi0.075Nb0.925Mn0.075O3 ceramic

Ceramic with composition Na0.925Bi0.075Nb0.925Mn0.075O3 (NNBM0075) was synthesized by high temperature solid state reaction technique. It was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), dielectric measurements and Raman spectroscopy. The sample crystallizes in orthorhombic perovskite structure with space group Pbma at room temperature. Dielectric properties of the ceramic was investigated in a broad range of temperatures (−150 to 450 °C) and frequencies (0.1–103 kHz), and show two different anomalies connected to the symmetry change and electrical conductivity. Dielectric frequency dispersion phenomena in the NNBM0075 ceramic was analyzed by impedance spectroscopy in the temperature range from 55 to 425 °C. The Cole-Cole analysis based on electrical circuit and least square method was used to characterize the conduction phenomenon. A separation of the grain and grain boundary properties was achieved using an equivalent circuit model. The different parameters of this circuit were determined using impedance stud...

Electrocaloric effect in Ba0.2Ca0.8Ti0.95Ge0.05O3 determined by a new pyroelectric method

The present letter explores the electrocaloric effect (ECE) in the lead-free oxide Ba 0.8 Ca 0.2 Ti 0.95 Ge 0.05 O 3 ceramics (BCTG). The electrocaloric responsivity was determined by two different methods using the Maxwell relationship . In a first well-known indirect method, hysteresis loops were measured in a wide temperature range from which the pyroelectric coefficient and thus ξ were determined by derivation of data. In the second novel method the pyroelectric coefficient p E and consequently the electrocaloric responsivity ξ were determined by direct measurements of the pyroelectric currents under different applied electric fields. Within the experimental error, good agreement was obtained between two methods with at about 410 K.

Structural and electrical properties of Bi0.5Na0.5 TiO3 based superlattices grown by pulsed laser deposition

Artificial superlattices of ferroelectric Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 and BaTiO3 have been successfully grown on (001) insulator or conductive SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition. In these epitaxial layered structures, the BaTiO3 layers were shown to contribute to an improvement of the two dimensional growth of the Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 layers. The influence of the superlattice period Λ, between 5 and 20 nm, was investigated. We observe an increase in the in-plane tensile strain as Λ is reduced from 20 nm to 10 nm, accompanied by a decrease in the density of dislocations. A concomitant enhancement of the dielectric permittivity was measured, demonstrating the strain tunability of these superlattices. A significant reduction of the dielectric losses is also obtained with decreasing Λ. Furthermore, a minimum value of the coercive field of less than 70 kV/cm, close to that of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 bulk ceramics, was reached by decreasing the period. We demonstrate that the dielectric and ferroelectric properties can be explai...

Giant increase of ferroelectric phase transition temperature in highly strained ferroelectric [BaTiO3]0.7Λ/[BaZrO3]0.3Λ superlattice

We report epitaxial strain effects in the lead-free ferroelectric/paraelectric superlattice (SL) for a modulation period Λ of about 100 A. We have demonstrated that the large strain in SL induces ferroelectricity in BaZrO3 layers, a material that is paraelectric at any temperature in the bulk form. The induced polar axis in BaZrO3 layers is perpendicular to the plane of the substrate while BaTiO3 layers exhibit in-plane polar orientation. Raman spectroscopy revealed a lattice ordering in SL due to the misfit strain generated by the large lattice mismatch between the alternating BaZrO3 and BaTiO3 layers. Such strain induces a huge upward frequency shift of the lowest E(1TO) soft mode from in the BaTiO3 single film to in the SL. The temperature of the ferroelectric phase transition in the SL was found to be upshifted by about with respect to the BaTiO3 single crystal.

Studies of Diffuse Phase Transition in Ferroelectric Solid Solution Pb1-xK2xNb2O6 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.25 and 0.3)

New compositions of Tetragonal Tungsten Bronze (TTB) ferroelectrics Pb1-xK2xNb5O15 (PKN) with x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.25 and 0.3 were synthesized using the solid state reaction method. Structural and electrical properties were examined as a function of the ratio Pb/K using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and dielectric measurements. The dielectric permittivity and the loss tangent of each composition have been measured in a frequency range 10 Hz–1 MH and in a temperatures range 25–600°C. It was shown that the Pb substitution induces the diffuse phase transition.