Relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals for electromechanical actuators

In-situ observation of needle domain evolution in barium titanate single crystals

“…Polycrystalline ceramics such as lead zirconate titanate are commonly used, but the strain output of these ceramics is limited to about 0.1-0.2%. 1 Single crystals of BaTiO 3 (barium titanate, BT) are found to exhibit strains around 5 times greater than those of conventional polycrystalline materials, and look promising for actuator applications. 2 The domain arrangement in these materials dictates their properties and hence, an improved understanding of domains in these crystals is needed for using them in practical applications.…”

Studies on Field Dependent Domain Structures in Multi-Grained 0.85PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3–0.15PbTiO3 Thin Films by Scanning Force Microscopy

“…The (1-x)PbMg 1/3 Nb 2/3 O 3 -(x)PbTiO 3 (PMN-PT) is a well-studied relaxor ferroelectric that combine advantages of both relaxor PMN and ferroelectric PT with tuneable ferroelectric transition temperature, depending on the composition of the solid solution. The exceptional electro-optical, electromechanical and electrocaloric properties of relaxors [4][5][6] have aroused fundamental interest to understand the mesoscopic structures in these materials, including microdomain and nanodomain populations, polarization distribution and their evolution with external electric field and temperature. Scanning force microscopy techniques is a powerful tool in the study of ferroelectric domains as they help in directly visualizing polar nanoregions (in relaxor ferroelectrics) and in the study of domain dynamics [7][8][9][10][11].…”

Study of electric-field-induced phase transitions in [111] oriented 0.955Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.045PbTiO3 single crystals

“…Single-crystal relaxor ferroelectrics with very large piezoelectric strains have been developed recently in the lead zinc niobate -lead titanate (PZN -PT) system, at PT concentrations between 4% and 9% [1,2]. It has been demonstrated [3,4] that the superior piezoelectric properties of PZN -PT crystals within these concentrations are closely correlated with the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), similar to the case of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoceramics, although the maximum piezoelectric coefficient occurs just before the MPB in the PZN -PT system and within the MPB in the PZT case.…”