Nucleation-Growth Mode of Cubic-Tetragonal Transition with Coexistence of Phases over a Wide Temperature Interval in the High Temperature Ferroelectric Systems PbTiO₃-BiMeO₃:Me = Sc, and Zn_1/2Ti_1/2

Abstract

Temperature dependent X-ray powder diffraction and dielectric studies have been carried out on tetragonal compositions of (1−x) PbTiO₃–(x) BiMeO₃; Me = Sc and Zn_1/2Ti _1/2. The cubic and the tetragonal phases coexist over more than 100°C for 0.70 PbTiO₃–0.3 Bi ( Zn_1/2Ti_1/2) O 3 and 0.66 PbTiO₃–0.34 BiScO₃. The wide temperature range of phase coexistence is shown to be an intrinsic feature of the system, and is attributed to the increase in the degree of the covalent character of the ( Pb + Bi )–O bond with increasing concentration of Bi at the Pb -site. The d-values of the {111} planes of the coexisting phases are nearly identical, suggesting this plane to be the invariant plane for the martensitic type cubic-tetragonal transformation occurring in these systems.