Two-stage processes of electrically induced-ferroelectric to relaxor transition in 0.94(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3-0.06BaTiO3

The stability of electrically induced long-range ferroelectric order in a relaxor 0.94(Bi1/2Na1/2) TiO3-0.06BaTiO(3) ceramic material has been investigated by temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction and electrical property measurements. The depolarization and ferroelectric-to-relaxor transition are identified as separate and discrete processes. It is observed that the induced ferroelectric domains first lose their ferroelectric/ferroelastic texture coincident with a peak signal in the thermally induced depolarization current. With further increase in temperature, the detextured ferroelectric domains are dissociated into nanoscale entities. This fragmentation marks the ferroelectric-to-relaxor transition. It is suggested that the ferroelectric-to-relaxor transition has features of a second order phase transition. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.