Field-enhanced piezoelectric deformation during the high temperature/low temperature rhombohedral (FERh/FERL) phase transformation for tin modified lead zirconate titanate ceramics

An unusual field-enhanced piezoelectric deformation near the FERH/FERL structural phase transformation was observed in a tin modified lead zirconate titanate solid solution. In addition to the typical field-induced domain reorientation and the piezoelectric strain, this additional field-enhanced deformation only observed near the phase transformation increases linearly with external electric field strength. A 78% increase in field-enhanced strain was observed at a field strength of 32 kV/cm. Comparison of the dielectric susceptibility at low and high field conditions suggests that the observed unusual behavior is created by a field-induced lattice softening during the structural phase transformation. Experimental observations on the field-induced softening phenomena are reported. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.