Domain configuration evolution, dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of 0.32PIN–0.345PMN–0.335PT single crystals

Abstract

Domain configuration evolution with temperature of the unpoled [001]C-oriented 0.32Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3–0.345Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.335PbTiO3 (0.32PIN–0.345PMN–0.335PT) single crystals was studied by the polarized light microscopy (PLM). The optical observation of the domain structures reveals the coexistence of polymorphic ferroelectric phases with mainly ferroelectric monoclinic phase at room temperature and the irreversible domain evolution upon thermal cycling, which induce the high piezoelectric response in such relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals with the morphotropic phase boundary compositions combined with polarization rotation. The temperature dependent domain evolution and dielectric behavior demonstrate the successive temperature-induced second-order ferroelectric M phase to ferroelectric tetragonal (T) phase (FEM–FET) and first-order ferroelectric T phase to paraelectric cubic (C) phase (FET–PC) ferroelectric phase transitions in the unpoled 0.32PIN–0.345PMN–0.335PT single crystals. Two dielectric loss anomalies were detected around the dielectric anomaly below 100 °C in the poled 0.32PIN–0.345PMN–0.335PT single crystals, indicating that the FEM–FET phase transition can be correlated with two different ferroelectric phase transitions, one is MA–MC, and the other is MC–T phase transition. The FEM–FET phase transition was confirmed further by the energy density measurement. The temperature dependent piezoelectric properties proved that the working temperature of the 0.32PIN–0.345PMN–0.335PT single crystals can reach 130 °C, higher around 50 °C than the Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 single crystals, indicating their promising applications in transducers used at elevated temperatures.