Ferroparaelectric transitions in relaxor materials studied by a photoacoustic technique

Photoacoustic experiments were carried out in two ceramic compounds to present a promising way to study relaxor materials. This technique has been shown to have some advantages in the investigation of phase transitions in a variety of materials. We use the temperature-dependent data of both dielectric and photoacoustic responses from the ceramic compound Bi4-xRxTi3O12, with R-x=Pr, x=0 and 1.6, to illustrate this work. We establish definitely that Bi4Ti3O12 is a relaxor. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.