Crystallographic direction dependence of direct current field induced strain and phase transitions in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-x%BaTiO3 single crystals near the morphotropic phase boundary

The crystallographic dependence of the DC electric (E) field induced strain and phase transition in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-5.6%BaTiO3 (NBT-5.6%BT) single crystals has been investigated. An induced transition between pseudocubic and tetragonal structures was observed under E = 10 kV/cm for fields applied along the < 001 > direction, whereas an induced transition between pseudocubic and rhombohedral structures was observed when the E-field was applied along < 111 >. Our results show near the morphotropic phase boundary that the phase stability of NBT-x%BT is dependent on the crystallographic direction along which E was applied. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4757877]