Anisotropy of domain switching in prepoled lead titanate zirconate ceramics under multiaxial electrical loading

The authors report an observation of anisotropic domain switching process in prepoled lead titanate zirconate (PZT) ceramics under multiaxial electrical loading. Prepoled PZT blocks were obliquely cut to apply an electric field at discrete angles theta (0 degrees-180 degrees) to the initial poling direction. Both the coercive field and switchable polarization are found to decrease significantly when sin theta increases from zero to unity. The measured strain curves show that most domains that accomplished 180 degrees domain switching actually experienced two successive 90 degrees switching. The oriented domain texture after poling plus the induced nonuniform stress are used to explain the observed domain switching anisotropy. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.