ORIENTATION EFFECTS IN SINGLE CRYSTAL RELAXOR RHOMBOHEDRAL FERROELECTRIC PZN-4.5%PT

ABSTRACT

[001] cut [Pb(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃]_0.955-[PbTiO₃]_0.045 (PZN-4.5%PT) displays extraordinary piezoelectric properties. An electric field applied in the ⟨001⟩ direction results in a very large strain and very little hysteresis. This electric field provides little or no driving force for domain wall motion. In this study, specimens were cut at different angles from [001] to [111]. Bipolar electric field cycles above the coercive field were run at a series of compressive stress levels to determine the effect of orientation on the ferroelectric behavior at different preloads. The results indicate that the [001] oriented crystal displays very little domain wall motion except during polarization reversal whereas the off axis cuts display successively more effects associated with domain wall motion as the cut is rotated from [001] to [111].

Keywords:

• Ferroelectric single crystals
• relaxor single crystals
• PZN-4.5%PT

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the United States Office of Naval Research for funding the Georgia Institute of Technology under grant N00014-03-1-0987.