Fatigue effect in ferroelectric crystals: Growth of the frozen domains

The model of the fatigue effect during cyclic switching caused by growth of the frozen domain area with charged domain walls has been proposed. It was claimed on the basis of the previous experimental results that for switching in increasing field the frozen domain area started to grow at the given sub-threshold field value and stopped at the threshold field. The influence of the shape and frequency of the field pulses used for cyclic switching has been considered. The uniaxial ferroelectric stoichiometric lithium tantalate single crystals produced by vapor transport equilibration with record low value of coercive field have been chosen as a model material for experimental verification of the model. The formation of the charged domain walls as a result of cyclic switching has been revealed by analysis of the domain images obtained by optical and Raman confocal microscopy. It has been shown that the fatigue degree is equal to the fraction of the frozen domain area. The experimental dependence of the switched charge on the cycle number has been successfully fitted by modified Kolmogorov-Avrami formula. The experimentally observed frequency independence of fatigue profile for rectangular pulses and frequency dependence for triangular pulses has been explained by proposed model. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Study of the nanostructured ferroelectric glass-ceramics BST for energy storage applications

В ходе работы выполнены исследования свойств наноструктурированной сегне-тоэлектрической стеклокерамики (Ba,Sr)TiO3, которые влияют на предельную энерго-емкость данных материалах при применении в конденсаторных устройствах накопле-ния энергии. Показана взаимосвязь между составом и параметрами синтеза стеклоке-рамики с микроструктурой, диэлектрическими свойствами и доменной структурой. Показано, что оптимальное соотношение SiO2/Al2O3 составляет около 1.4, а концентрация добавки AlF3 2 моль%. Показано, что добавление La2O3 приводит к уменьшению среднего размера зерен, сопровождающееся увеличением показателя блокировки (увеличение вклада сопротивления областей межзеренных интефейсов), смещением фазового перехода в область меньших температур. Исследованные составы стеклокерамики имеют размытый фазовый переход и диэлектрические свойства, характерные для релаксорных сегнетоэлектриков.Properties of nanostructured ferroelectric (Ba,Sr)TiO3 glass-ceramics important for en-ergy storage properties were studied. The relation between glass-ceramics composition, syn-thesis parameters, microstructure and domain structure was revealed. It was shown that the optimal ratio SiO2/Al2O3 is about 1.4, while the AlF3 concentration is 2 mol%. Addition of La2O3 leads to decrease of the average grain size accompanied by the increase of the blocking factor (increase of the input of the grain boundaries into total impedance) and shift of he phase transition into lower temperature. Studied glass-ceramics are characterized by diffuse phase transition and dielectric properties typical for relaxor ferroelectric.Программа развития УрФУ на 2013 год (п.2.1.2.1

Polarization reversal and jump-like domain wall motion in stoichiometric LiTaO 3 produced by vapor transport equilibration

The polarization reversal and domain structure evolution has been studied in stoichiometric lithium tantalate prepared by vapor transport equilibration process. The first in situ visualization of domain kinetics has demonstrated the jump-like motion of few strictly oriented plane domain walls, which leads to short isolated current pulses in the switching current data. The proposed model of jump-like domain wall motion caused by interaction with pinning centers representing the areas with increased value of the threshold field is based on the effect of retardation of bulk screening. The derived formulas were applied successfully for analysis of the field dependence of the total switching time. The durations of wall jumps and wall stays (rest times) extracted from the switching current data are analyzed separately. The deceleration of the wall motion velocity during jump is controlled by the trail of residual depolarization field produced by bound charges and screening charges in the area behind the wall. The duration of the rest time is governed by the bulk screening of residual depolarization field. The value of Hurst exponent 0.75 obtained by fractal analysis of the switching current data has confirmed the essential influence of prehistory on the domain wall motion. The measurements of the coercive field by switching in bipolar triangular pulses in wide range of the field ramp rate have allowed us to extract the record low value of coercive field 60 V/mm for quasi-static polarization reversal. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

X-Ray Fluorescence Determination of Trace Gold in an Ion-Exchange Resin

The use of portable X ray optics with a secondary radiator in the determination of trace gold in an ion exchange resin within the mass fraction range of 1–50 ppm is described. It is shown that the secondary radiator design with primary radiation filtering allows one to determine trace gold in an ion exchange resin when the mass fraction of gold is lower than 1 ppm

Field induced evolution of regular and random 2D domain structures and shape of isolated domains in LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃

The shapes of isolated domains produced by application of the uniform external electric field in different experimental conditions were investigated experimentally in single crystalline lithium niobate LiNbO3 and lithium tantalate LiTaO3. The study of the domain kinetics by computer simulation and experimentally by polarization reversal of the model structure using two-dimensional regular electrode pattern confirms applicability of the kinetic approach to explanation of the experimentally observed evolution of the domain shape and geometry of the domain structure. It has been shown that the fast domain walls strictly oriented along X directions appear after domain merging

Formation of dendrite domain structures in stoichiometric lithium niobate at elevated temperatures

Formation of the dendrite-type self-organized domain structures during polarization reversal at elevated temperatures (above 230°C) has been revealed and studied in stoichiometric lithium niobate LiNbO3 single crystals. Optical, confocal Raman, scanning electron, and piezoelectric force microscopy have been used for domain visualization. It has been shown experimentally that formation of the dendrite-like structures has been attributed to correlated nucleation caused by a field distribution in the vicinity of the charged domain walls. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Spatial heterogeneity of piezoelectric properties in fatigued lead zirconate titanate ceramics

A spatial non-uniformity of the switching properties during the fatigue cycling in lead zirconate titanate ceramics was investigated by a quasi-static piezoelectric and a polarization switching measurements. The agreement between the local piezoelectric properties and the switching behavior of segmented samples was demonstrated. The observed spatial variation of the properties and its evolution with cycle number provides clear evidence of the presence of heterogeneous regions that possess a local fatigue state and the local switching behavior. These results can be explained as a result of the build-up of the spatially non-uniform field and the formation of frozen domains in the ceramics during cycling. The statistical analysis of spatial variation of the switching properties and its evolution with cycle number provides the evidence that the heterogeneity of the switching properties during the fatigue cycling in lead zirconate titanate ceramics is mostly related to the non-uniform change of the local characteristic switching time. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Equation of state SAHA-S meets stellar evolution code CESAM2k

We present an example of an interpolation code of the SAHA-S equation of state that has been adapted for use in the stellar evolution code CESAM2k. The aim is to provide the necessary data and numerical procedures for its implementation in a stellar code. A technical problem is the discrepancy between the sets of thermodynamic quantities provided by the SAHA-S equation of state and those necessary in the CESAM2k computations. Moreover, the independent variables in a practical equation of state (like SAHA-S) are temperature and density, whereas for modelling calculations the variables temperature and pressure are preferable. Specifically for the CESAM2k code, some additional quantities and their derivatives must be provided. To provide the bridge between the equation of state and stellar modelling, we prepare auxiliary tables of the quantities that are demanded in CESAM2k. Then we use cubic spline interpolation to provide both smoothness and a good approximation of the necessary derivatives. Using the B-form of spline representation provides us with an efficient algorithm for three-dimensional interpolation. The table of B-spline coefficients provided can be directly used during stellar model calculations together with the module of cubic spline interpolation. This implementation of the SAHA-S equation of state in the CESAM2k stellar structure and evolution code has been tested on a solar model evolved to the present. A comparison with other equations of state is briefly discussed. The choice of a regular net of mesh points for specific primary quantities in the SAHA-S equation of state, together with accurate and consistently smooth tabulated values, provides an effective algorithm of interpolation in modelling calculations. The proposed module of interpolation procedures can be easily adopted in other evolution codes.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure