Triple Hysteresis Loops of PLZST Ceramics Related to Coexistence of Ferroelectricity and Antiferroelectricity

The hysteresis behaviors and phase characteristics of Pb0.97La0.02(Zr0.90Sn0.025Ti0.075)O-3 (PLZST) ceramics were investigated in this work. A single mini hysteresis loop at 3 kV/mm with the maximum polarization (P-max) of 8.3 mu C/cm(2) and triple hysteresis loops at 6.6 kV/mm were observed, which indicates the coexistence of rhombohedral ferroelectric phase and tetragonal antiferroelectric phase. The X-ray Diffraction patterns and dielectric temperature spectra both demonstrate this coexistence. Moreover, the hysteresis loops with increasing temperature indicated that a ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transition occurred at about 60 degrees C. These phenomena would be useful for understanding the domain evolution during ferroelectric and antiferroelectric phase transition.