Field induced polarization characteristics of pretransitional ferrielectric ordering in antiferroelectric (R)-MHPOBC

Abstract

D-E hysteresis loops are studied at various driving frequencies from 1 Hz to 5 KHz for a 3 μm thick sample of (R)-MHPOBC at T ≃ 90 °C. The double-loop hysteresis curve of antiferroelectric phase was observed to change into a single loop hysteresis curve as the driving frequency was increased to 500 Hz and above. A relaxation peak was observed at this same frequency in the dielectric loss measurements under d.c bias fields. Polarization switching current was also measured to find the field induced polarization as a function of the field strength. All of these measurements agree with the pretransitional ferrielectric-like conformation in the field induced phase transition from the antiferroelectric to the ferroelectric phase.