Review
Crystallography
Chongjun He, Ying Wen, Yiyang Wen, Kai Zhou, Chenguang Deng, Qian Li, Yuangang Lu
Summary: During the last two decades, there has been extensive research on PT-based relaxor ferroelectric crystals, which possess huge piezoelectric properties and super-high electro-mechanical coupling factors. These crystals, such as PZN-PT, PMN-PT, and PIN-PMN-PT, show excellent properties near the morphotropic phase boundary and are gradually replacing traditional PZT piezo-ceramics in various applications. In addition to their outstanding electro-mechanical properties, these ferroelectric crystals also exhibit excellent optical performances, making them suitable for use in laser communication devices.
CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Pius Augustine, C. L. Anjaly, Kavya Ravindran, Vidhya Sivan
Summary: Lead magnesium niobate (PMN)-based relaxor ferroelectrics have shown great potential for various fields of research. In this study, the structural and electrical properties of the PMN-based ternary system were investigated, focusing on the magnetic element-doped composition PbMg(0.1733)Ni0.04266Nb0.432Ti0.352O3. A comparison with the binary parent relaxor system PMN-PT at the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) was made. The ferroelectric and dielectric response of the ternary ceramic was found to be lower than that of the binary PMN-PT system at the MPB compositions. This reduction in functional response can be attributed to the incorporation of magnetic element Ni2+ in the unit cell and the absence of a bimodular grain structure in the ternary ceramic system.
APPLIED PHYSICS A-MATERIALS SCIENCE & PROCESSING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qian Li, Yangbin Liu, Jinfeng Liu, Kexin Song, Haisheng Guo, Fei Li, Zhuo Xu
Summary: Relaxor-PbTiO3 crystals have attracted widespread attention in the past two decades due to their excellent piezoelectric properties. However, the segregation of components during crystal growth results in low-performance consistency for Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) crystals, which limits their practical applications. This study introduces Nd3+ as A-site substitution to improve the uniformity of the electromechanical performance of PMN-PT crystals and achieves a high piezoelectric coefficient in the rhombohedral phase.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Fangfang Wang, Huining Wang, Quansen Yang, Zixin Zhang, Kang Yan
Summary: A dense, fine-grained PMN-PT ceramic was successfully prepared at low temperature using the hot-press sintering method, maintaining high performance with small grains. This fine-grained PMN-PT ceramic shows potential for developing low-cost, high-frequency ultrasonic devices by replacing expensive piezoelectric single crystals.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shasha Dong, Feifei Guo, Hongqiao Zhou, Wei Long, Pinyang Fang, Xiaojuan Li, Zengzhe Xi
Summary: A series of Sm-doped piezoelectric ceramics were fabricated and studied for their crystal structure, electrical properties, and thermal stability. It was found that ceramics with specific compositions exhibited unique crystalline phases and excellent piezoelectric performance, with x = 0.33 ceramics showing particularly outstanding properties and stability even with temperature variations within a small range.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Acoustics
D. N. Stephens, R. Wodnicki, R. Chen, L. -M. Liang, Q. Zhou, K. Morrison, K. W. Ferrara
Summary: The electromechanical coupling coefficient (EMCC) of a fully assembled medical ultrasound transducer array is directly computed using closed form expressions. The Levenberg-Marquardt non-linear regression algorithm (LMA) is utilized to confirm the EMCC calculated prediction (k(EFF)) and provide statistical insights. The changes in EMCC, dielectric constant, and effective transducer longitudinal velocity after oven heating demonstrate good agreement between the calculated EMCC values from closed form expressions and the complete KLM model based LMA, with significantly less error than formulas for a flat, unloaded transducer.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Fengji Zheng, Xue Tian, Ze Fang, Jinfeng Lin, Ye Lu, Wen Gao, Rui Xin, Dashi Fu, Yang Qi, Zhaozhen Ma, Wanneng Ye, Yalin Qin, Xiaoxiong Wang, Yongcheng Zhang
Summary: In this paper, a Sm-doped transparent ceramic material with high piezoelectric coefficient, excellent electro-optical coefficient, and high Curie temperature was fabricated. The effect of Sm doping on the phase structures, piezoelectricity, ferroelectricity, optical transparency, electro-optical properties, and thermal stability was systematically investigated. Compared with PMN-PT transparent ceramics, the PIN-PMN-PT transparent ceramics exhibited better temperature stability. Electro-optical modulation and energy conversion were achieved using the PIN-PMN-PT transparent piezoelectric ceramic, indicating its great potential for developing mechanical-electrical-optical multifunctional coupling devices for optical communication, energy harvesting, photoacoustic imaging, and more.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wenjing Zhou, Chao Zhang, Quanpei Du, Fangfang Zeng, Ying Yang, Dirui Wu, Guifen Fan, Kanghua Li, Shenglin Jiang
Summary: In this study, a method of integrating compositional design (Sm and Mn co-doping) and orientation engineering (< 001 > -textured) was proposed to enhance the strain performance of PIN-PMN-PT. The co-doping of Sm and Mn decreased the hysteresis of the material. Addition of BaTiO3 (BT) templates resulted in oriented grain arrangement and improved temperature stability. The overall strain performance of PIN-PMN-PT was improved through the combined effect of ion doping and orientation engineering, providing a novel approach for designing superior displacement actuators.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Dariusz Bochenek, Przemyslaw Niemiec, Grzegorz Dercz, Artur Chrobak
Summary: This study elaborates on the technology of multiferroic ceramic composites sintered by the spark plasma sintering method and presents their structural, microstructural, dielectric, ferroelectric and magnetic characteristics. The results show that the composite materials have high permittivity and small dielectric loss tangent, properly saturated ferroelectric polarization, and typical magnetic properties of ferroelectro-ferromagnetic composites. The spark plasma sintering method improves the sinterability of the material, maintains high performance parameters, and significantly reduces the processing temperature and time of the composites.
JOURNAL OF MAGNETISM AND MAGNETIC MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Kai Li, Huashan Zheng, Xudong Qi, Da Huo, Jinhui Fan, Zhenting Zhao, Ting Wang, Junfeng Zhao, Jiaming Li, Enwei Sun, Weiping Gong, Bin Yang
Summary: Domain switching and polarization reorientation in ferroelectrics have potential applications in nonvolatile memories, electro-optic devices, and nanoelectronics. This study systematically investigated the domain structure and switching dynamics in tetragonal PIMN-PT single crystals. A multi-type domain pattern consisting of irregular 180° ferroelectric domains and regular 90° ferroelastic domains was observed. The results indicate that the switching process is dominated by the nucleation and growth of 180° domains under low electrical bias, and the sample achieves a single-domain state with increasing electrical bias.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Mengdi Cheng, Mo Zhao, Shiyi Zhang, Yangxi Yan, Zhimin Li, Pangpang Wang, Ri-Ichi Murakami, Dongyan Zhang
Summary: This study reports the improvement in electrical properties of Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-PbTiO3 relaxor ferroelectrics by modulating the polymorphism of nano-scale domain, resulting in high piezoelectric coefficients d33 and d33* of 948 pC/N and 1108 pm/V, respectively. The high piezoelectric response is explained by the significant changes in the morphology of ferroelectric domains during the transition from tetragonal to rhombohedral phase, leading to the appearance of nano-scale domains as an extrinsic contribution to piezoelectricity. In addition, the nanoscale domains promote polarization rotation, thereby improving the piezoelectric response. The improved thermal stability of the piezoelectric performance is also demonstrated. This work provides a good example of enhancing ceramics' piezoelectric response by modulating the polymorphism of nanoscale domains.
JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Fei Sun, Tingfeng Ma, Pengfei Kang, Yuming Yao, Ning Gan, Lili Yuan, Wenhui Hu, Iren Kuznetsova, Ilya Nedospasov
Summary: This paper investigates the bulk acoustic wave characteristics of relaxor ferroelectric single crystal PMN-PT under pure- and pseudo-lateral-field-excitation modes. The optimal cuts for these two modes are obtained and verified through finite element simulations. The research provides an important basis for the development of highly sensitive piezoelectric sensors based on relaxor ferroelectric single crystal PMN-PT.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Namkyoung Choi, Young-In Hwang, Hyosung Lee, Mu-Kyung Seo, Yong-Il Kim, Geonwoo Kim, Ki-Bok Kim
Summary: This study fabricates a ternary Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O-3 -Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) polycrystalline single-phase thin film for ultrahigh-frequency ultrasonic transducers, showing resonance frequencies of around 500 MHz. The film's performance has been verified through crystallographic and piezoelectric characteristics, fabrication process, and analysis of ultrasonic response waveforms.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS A-PHYSICAL
(2022)
Article
Crystallography
Kazuhiko Echizenya, Naoki Noda, Hisato Noro
Summary: Mn-doped Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O-3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbTiO3 single crystals grown by the continuous-feeding Bridgman method exhibit excellent composition and property uniformity, making them suitable for high power piezoelectric applications.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Kai Li, Enwei Sun, Xudong Qi, Da Huo, Yixiao Yang, Huashan Zheng, Bin Yang, Jian Liu, Wenwu Cao
Summary: The study investigated the effects of temperature and electric field on PIMNT27 single crystals, observing nanosized domains using PFM and studying their distribution under different poling fields and temperatures to understand their impact on phase transitions and electromechanical properties.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Maxim N. Popov, Juergen Spitaler, Vignaswaran K. Veerapandiyan, Eric Bousquet, Jiri Hlinka, Marco Deluca
NPJ COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marios Hadjimichael, Yaqi Li, Edoardo Zatterin, Gilbert A. Chahine, Michele Conroy, Kalani Moore, Eoghan N. O' Connell, Petr Ondrejkovic, Pavel Marton, Jiri Hlinka, Ursel Bangert, Steven Leake, Pavlo Zubko
Summary: Multiple boundary conditions can be manipulated simultaneously in nanoscale heterostructures to stabilize unusual structures and emergent phases. In PbTiO3-SrRuO3 ferroelectric-metal superlattices, a stable supercrystal phase with a three-dimensional ordering of nanoscale domains can be engineered. The complex hierarchical domain structure formed in this system minimizes elastic and electrostatic energy, with large local deformations of the ferroelectric lattice accommodated by periodic lattice modulations of metallic layers.
Article
Physics, Applied
Urska Trstenjak, Nina Daneu, Iegor Rafalovskyi, Jamal Belhadi, Damjan Vengust, Jiri Hlinka, Matjaz Spreitzer
Summary: Understanding the relationship between the structural characteristics and functional properties of complex relaxor ferroelectric thin films is crucial for designing high-performance materials. This study analyzed the structure of epitaxial relaxed pulsed-laser-deposited PMN-xPT thin films and revealed the preference of the tetragonal-like ferroelectric phase with polarization perpendicular to the film. The results were supported by electromechanical property measurements, showing a locally non-centrosymmetric structure.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
Petr S. Bednyakov, Maxim Savinov, Ilya Shnaidshtein, Jiri Hlinka
Summary: This paper presents a method called thermal noise dielectric spectroscopy, which can determine the real and imaginary parts of dielectric permittivity in a kHz frequency range. The method relies on calibration measurements and has the potential for studying nonlinear dielectric materials. Experimental results show good agreement with standard impedance analyzer measurements.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jan Fabry, Monika Kucerakova, Michal Dusek, Elena Buixaderas, Jiri Hlinka
Summary: A single-crystal structure determination of the cubic phase of CsNO3 was reported based on data collected at 439 K. The structure was refined in Pm (3) over barm (Z = 1). Analysis of the difference electron-density maps showed that the twelve-orientation model was more appropriate than the eight-orientation aragonite model to describe the positions of Cs, N, O1, and O2 atoms. However, both models showed similarities when considering the large anisotropic displacement parameters of the O atoms in the eight-orientation aragonite model, which was attributed to the smeared electron density around the positions of the disordered [NO3](-) anion.
ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B-STRUCTURAL SCIENCE CRYSTAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Henrik Beccard, Benjamin Kirbus, Michael Ruesing, Elke Beyreuther, Petr Bednyakov, Jiri Hlinka, Lukas M. Eng
Summary: This study quantifies the properties of the engineered charged head-to-head domain walls in ferroelectric BaTiO3 single crystals using dedicated Hall transport measurements. The results show high electron mobility and two-dimensional charge density, but emphasize the need to consider the effects of thermal and geometrical misalignment offsets in the measurement process.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Zoran Jovanovic, Matjaz Spreitzer, Urska Trstenjak, Hsin-Chia Ho, Olena Butsyk, Binbin Chen, Elena Tchernychova, Fedir Borodavka, Gertjan Koster, Jiri Hlinka
Summary: By combining traditional epitaxy techniques and wet chemistry, we have developed a hybrid approach that allows for direct growth of SrTiO3 (STO) on a silicon substrate using SrO-assisted deoxidation and spin-coated graphene oxide as a protective layer. This method offers a unique perspective for integrating functional oxides with a silicon platform.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
J. Belhadi, Z. Hanani, U. Trstenjak, N. A. Shepelin, V. Bobnar, G. Koster, J. Hlinka, D. Pergolesi, T. Lippert, M. El Marssi, M. Spreitzer
Summary: Tuning and stabilizing large imprint in ferroelectric thin films is crucial for designing micro-electromechanical devices. This study demonstrates the influence of epitaxial strain on the imprint and properties of PMN-33PT films grown on different substrates, and highlights the potential for maximizing the figure of merit in piezoelectric devices.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Hsin-Chia Ho, Milutin Smiljanic, Zoran Jovanovic, Miha Cekada, Janez Kovac, Gertjan Koster, Jiri Hlinka, Nejc Hodnik, Matjaz Spreitzer
Summary: This study developed a robust photocathode using low-cost and high-performing materials, such as p-Si, for efficient and durable production of clean fuel hydrogen. The utilization of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique and a buffer layer of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) allowed for the preparation of a high-quality SrTiO3 (STO) layer that passivates the p-Si substrate. The study demonstrated that the epitaxial STO layer on rGO-buffered Si provided the highest onset potential and improved charge separation and transfer compared to counterparts with thicker or nonepitaxial STO layers. The importance of having a well-defined passivation layer and the stability of the epitaxial STO layer in corrosion resistance was also highlighted.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
V. Laguta, Yu. O. Zagorodniy, R. O. Kuzian, I. V. Kondakova, V. Chlan, R. Reznicek, H. Stepankova, D. Bohdanov, J. Hlinka, R. Ramesh
Summary: Mn4+, Cr3+, and Fe3+ electron paramagnetic resonance and 47,49Ti and 207Pb nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements were conducted in PbTiO3 single crystals. The results revealed unexpected changes in the tetragonal crystal-field parameter of Mn4+ and Cr3+ ions at T < 170 K, where it initially increased with decreasing temperature, then sharply decreased below 150-170 K. The electric-field gradient at the Ti site showed nonuniform changes with decreasing temperature, sharply increasing below 150-170 K and becoming temperature independent below these temperatures. NMR linewidth broadening was observed for Ti and Pb nuclei at T < 170 K due to fluctuations in lattice parameters. These findings suggest the proximity of a phase transition with minimal crystal structure modification.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tomas Rauch, Pavel Marton, Silvana Botti, Jiri Hlinka
Summary: Photocatalytic water splitting is a promising strategy for large-scale clean energy production, but efficient and low-cost solid-state photocatalysts are still lacking. In this study, first-principles calculations were used to investigate the suitability of an epitaxial layer of strontium germanate on a Si(100) single crystal as a photocathode. The conduction and valence band offsets at the interface between these two semiconductors were determined using state-of-the-art approximations of density functional theory. The resulting band lineup was confirmed by inspection of the spatially resolved density of states. It was concluded that the conduction band offset of the investigated heterostructure is favorable for photocathodic functionality.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Pavel Marton, Mauro A. P. Goncalves, Marek Pasciak, Sabine Koerbel, Venceslav Chumchal, Martin Plesinger, Antonin Klic, Jirka Hlinka
Summary: We conducted a theoretical investigation on a charged 180 degrees domain wall in ferroelectric PbTiO3, compensated by randomly distributed immobile charge defects, using atomistic shell-model simulations and continuous phase-field simulations. Our predictions show that the domain walls form a zigzag pattern, accompanied by local polarization rotation, which provides an efficient mechanism for charge compensation.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Florian Mayer, Maxim N. Popov, Petr Ondrejkovic, Jiri Hlinka, Juergen Spitaler, Marco Deluca
Summary: This study employs large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and an effective Hamiltonian approach to investigate the macroscopic properties of barium titanate solid solutions. Theoretical descriptions and density functional theory calculations are used to parametrize the models for homovalent and heterovalent substitutions. The effectiveness of the models is validated by comparing their predictions with experimental data, providing valuable insights.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Pavel Balaz, Marek Pasciak, Jiri Hlinka
Summary: The melting of particle lattice in two-dimensional systems follows the KTHNY theory, where topological defects are excited leading to the transition from solid to liquid phase via the hexatic phase. Through numerical simulations, the melting process of a Neel skyrmion lattice at low temperatures was studied, showing agreement with the KTHNY theory.
Correction
Physics, Applied
G. F. Nataf, M. Guennou, J. M. Gregg, D. Meier, J. Hlinka, E. K. H. Salje, J. Kreisel
NATURE REVIEWS PHYSICS
(2020)
