Specific heat on Sr2Nb2O7 and Sr2Ta2O7

Abstract

Specific heats on the single crystals of Sr2Nb2O7, Sr2Ta2O7 and (Sr1-xBax)2Nb2O7 were measured in a wide temperature range of 2-600 K. Heat anomalies of a λ-type were observed at the incommensurate phase transition of TINC (=495 K) on Sr2Nb2O7 and at the super-lattice phase transition of TSL (=443 K) on Sr2Ta2O7; the transition enthalpies and the transition entropies were estimated. Furthermore, a small heat anomaly was observed at the low temperature ferroelectric phase transition of TLOW (=95 K) on Sr2Nb2O7. The transition temperature TLOW decreases with increasing Ba content x and it vanishes for samples of x>2%.