Specific Heat Behaviour in Real Ferroelectric Crystals

Abstract

We discuss the relationship between the Landau theory predictions about the temperature dependence of specific heat of “ideal” ferroelectric crystals and the real “nonclassical” thermal properties of ferroelectrics, caused by the structural defects, domains, non-uniform biasing field etc. Using the experimental data for the series of model ferroelectric crystals (KDP, GMO, TMO) and the advanced method of the lattice background specific heat calculation, we have reconsidered and specified the earlier received results.

Keywords:

• Ferroelectric phase transitions
• Landau theory
• specific heat anomalies
• structural defects
• tricritical point
• polarization fluctuations
• critical indexes
• Schottky anomaly