Microstructure and electrical response of 0.9Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.1PbTiO3 relaxor ceramics

Ceramics samples of a solid solution of 10 mol. % lead titanate PbTiO3 (PT) in lead magnesium niobate Pb(Mg1/3Nb)O-3 (PMN) were investigated from the view point of phase transition behavior and electrical properties. Dielectric spectroscopy in a frequency region of 10(3)-10(6) Hz was carried out to study the temperature and frequency dependence of the weak-field dielectric response in 0.9PMN-0.1 PT material prepared via a columbite precursor route. The temperature T-m of the observed maxima in the dielectric permittivity (epsilon(m)) was found to shift from 45.4 to 58.5degreesC and epsilon(m) decreased from 4500 to 4060 as the frequency increased from 100 Hz to 1 MHz. The characteristics of a diffuse phase transition (DPT) behavior (gammaapproximate to1.8 and delta(gamma)approximate to30degreesC) were determined using an extended Curie-Weiss law. The relaxor features of ferroelectrics were also demonstrated by a "slim" ferroelectric hysteresis loop. Non-zero values of the piezoelectric parameters (k(p) approximate to 1.6 %, d(31) approximate to -3.6 pC/N) and spontaneous polarization (P-s approximate to 2.4 muC/cm(2)) were observed at 80degreesC, indicating the existence of nanopolar regions in the structure far above the T-m.