Growth of relaxor ferroelectric crystal 0.93Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.07PbTiO3 by directional solidification

Relaxor ferroelectric (1-x)Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O-3-xPbTiO(3) (PZNT) solid solution crystal exhibits superior piezoelectric properties near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), but applications of PZNT crystals are limited by the lack of a simple and reproducible growth technique. In this paper, 0.93Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O-3-0.07PbTiO(3) (PZNT93/7) piezocrystal had been grown by directional solidification with PbO flux. The growth furnace was designed and large size PZNT boule of 40 mm in diameter was obtained. The growth defects, such as striations and inclusions, were observed and the compositions of as-grown PZNT crystals were analyzed. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.