Lanthanum Dependence of the Electrically Controlled Light Scattering Performances of PLZT Transparent Ceramics

Abstract

Lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) transparent ceramics have attracted more and more attentions for their unique electrically controlled light scattering effects. By the hot-press sintering method, a series of PLZT (X/70/30) ceramics with different La concentration (7.3, 7.4, 7.45, 7.5, 7.6 mole %) have been synthesized to figure out its influence on the electrically controlled light scattering performances. XRD patterns reveal the formation of a single-phase perovskite structure for all samples. The PLZT (7.3/70/30, 7.4/70/30, 7.45/70/30) samples exhibit a ferroelectric behavior, but with the La concentration increasing, the samples exhibit a tendency of a double hysteresis loop which is due to antiferroelectric phase coexisted. The temperature of maximum dielectric constant (Tm) of the PLZT (X/70/30) ceramics shifts from ~99 °C to ~87 °C with the increasing of La concentration at 1 kHz. All samples exhibit a high transmittance (61%, 0.35 mm) within the wavelength range from visible to near-infrared light. Depending on the La concentration, the light scattering behavior of PLZT ceramics exhibit two main types, in which PLZT (7.45/70/30) promises a unique potential application in laser modulators for its outstanding advantages of less energy consumption and relatively larger contrast ratio.