Monoclinic phase of PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 ceramics:: Raman and phenomenological thermodynamic studies

This work reports Raman detection of the tetragonal --> monoclinic phase transition in PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 ceramics near the morphotropic phase boundary at low temperatures. The transition is characterized by changes in the frequency of lattice modes with temperature. The results presented here confirm the previous one recently reported by Noheda et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 2059 (1999)] using high-resolution synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction technique and dielectric measurements. The stability of the new phase is discussed within the framework of phenomenological Landau-Devonshire theory.