Effects of Radiation‐Induced Damage Centers in Lead Zirconate Titanate Ceramics

Abstract

A study of the nuclear reactor irradiationinduced changes in the electrical and lattice properties of ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.65Ti0.35)O3+ 1 wt% Nb2O5 revealed that these changes in properties are caused by different damage centers. The changes observed in electrical properties were: (1) Pr decreased but P3 remained constant, (2) double (antiferroelectric‐type) hysteresis loops were formed, (3) an increase by a factor of 5 in grain size did not affect the radiation damage rate in the ceramics, (4) an increase in irradiation temperature of 100°C above room temperature doubled the damage rate, (5) EC for unpoled ceramics was insensitive to irradiation until integrated fast neutron fluxes of lo18 nvt (and the associated γ‐dose) were exceeded and thereafterECincreased exponentially, (6) aging of the radiation‐induced damage did not occur at room tem perature, (7) the damage centers which affected the electric properties were temperature annealed, the annealing temperature depending on the particular material, (8) the introduction of lattice strain, as observed by changes in the longitudinal wave velocity (phonon mean free path length), did not appear to be related to changes in electrical properties. These changes in electrical and thermal properties are consistent with the published data for irradiated triglycine sulfate, Rochelle salt, barium titanate, and guanidinium aluminum sulfate and it is suggested that a common damage model may be constructed for all these ferroelectric materials.