The scaling behavior of sub-coercive field dynamic ferroelectric hysteresis
under the influence of stress was investigated in rhombohedral
0.6Pb(Zr0.5Ti0.5)O3–0.4Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3
(0.6PZT–0.4PZN) bulk ceramic. The scaling relation of hysteresis area against frequency f, field amplitude E0, and stress σ
for the minor loops takes the form of , indicating the difference in the energy dissipation between the stressed
and stress-free conditions. While the scaling obtained is very similar
to that of soft and hard PZT ceramics, slightly faster responses to
f and
E0
indicate the ease of polarization orientation in this ceramic with a simpler domain structure
compared to commercial PZT ceramics. However, the difference in mechanical properties of
these materials could contribute to a variation in the response to stress. While the
E0
exponent obtained in this study agreed well with that derived from the Monte
Carlo simulation based on the Q-state planar Potts model, the difference in the
f
exponent obtained experimentally and theoretically was attributed to the depolarizing
effects presented in the bulk ceramics.