Wide Compositional RangeIn SituElectric Field Investigations on Lead-FreeBa(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3−x(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3Piezoceramic

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevapplied.3.064018
• Publication Date: 2015-06-27T06:28:58Z
• Authors: M. Zakhozheva; L. A. Schmitt; M. Acosta; H. Guo; W. Jo; R. Schierholz; H.-J. Kleebe; X. Tan
• Keywords: Materials Science and Engineering; 500; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 530

Applications ranging from microphones to AFM transducers exploit the interplay between mechanical stress and electric field arising from structural transitions in certain perovskite oxides. The classic material contains lead, however, and efficient, environmentally friendly alternatives have long been sought. The authors use a challenging technique to visualize the real-time microstructural evolution of a lead-free ferroelectric system, and the multidomain states and transitions they find are expected to inform the search for additional systems, as well as the applications that will rely on them.