Local structure analysis of BaTiO3-KNbO3 solid solution

The atomic-scale structure of a solid solution of BaTiO3 (BT) and KNbO3 (KN) has been studied using high-energy X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption fine structure, and atomic pair-distribution function analysis techniques. We prepared BT-KN solid solution using KNbTiO5, in which Ti and Nb atoms are arranged randomly. The average structure of the BT-KN solid solution was cubic and the local structure is also reproduced by the cubic structure. It is rare that a solid solution synthesized from ferroelectric materials has the local structure of a paraelectric material. Since the original correlation of BT or KN was lost, ferroelectricity disappeared in the BT-KN solid solution. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics