90° Domain Reorientation and Electric-Field-Induced Strain of Tetragonal Lead Zirconate Titanate Ceramics

Abstract

The effect of the reorientation of 90° domains on the electric-field-induced strains was studied for tetragonal lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics. An in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) method was used to evaluate the 90° domain reorientation under electric fields. The strains caused by the reorientation were calculated and compared with the electric-field-induced longitudinal strains measured with a laser displacement meter and the strains expected from piezoelectric d-constants. It was experimentally confirmed that the electric-field-induced strains of PZT ceramics were composed of strains due to the piezoelectric effect and the 90° reorientation. After poling treatment, a small portion of the 90° domains relaxed and reoriented, giving rise to a reversible reorientation of the 90° domains by the electric field. These reversible reorientations contributed to the electric-field-induced strains. In “soft” PZT ceramics, the degrees of 90° reorientation caused by poling and by the subsequent application of an electric field had a close correlation with the tetragonality of the crystal lattice rather than with the coercive field.

Broadband control of the viscoelasticity of ferroelectrics via domain switching

“…The faster the electric cycling, the greater the softening effect. As observed in single-crystalline PZN-PT, 12 the modulus variation is partly due to elastic anisotropy: 90 -switched domains, observed in polycrystals under cyclic electric fields, 13 reduce the apparent modulus in the loading direction. This effect is more gradual in polycrystals 14 Electronic mail: kochmann@caltech.edu distributed grain orientations.…”

Double-peak switching current in soft ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate

“…It is widely accepted that 90°domains are highly mobile in the donor doped ͑soft͒ PZT ceramics as a consequence of the increase of lead vacancies in the crystal lattice as charge compensation, 23 as well as reducing the concentration of the oxygen vacancies, 24 which are thought to clamp the domain wall motion. 25 Based on this assumption, we may expect that 90°domains can be switched relatively easily upon applying an electric field.…”

Electromechanical Properties of a Ceramic d31‐Gradient Flextensional Actuator

“…The d 31 value obtained in the low-field impedance measurement is usually smaller than that obtained at the larger electric fields used in the displacement measurement. This field-dependent behavior is attributed to the non-180°domain motion, 23 which further relates to the stress in the PZT ceramics. 22 At the electric field of 1 ϫ 10 6 V/m used in the experiment, field-enhanced domain switching could increase the d 31 , resulting in h c higher than the calculated values that are based on the low-field d 31 .…”