Nanoscale Atomic Displacements Ordering for Enhanced Piezoelectric Properties in Lead-Free ABO3 Ferroelectrics

Significance Statement

Nanoscale ordering of atomic displacements could be an effective parameter for enhancing piezoelectric susceptibility in lead-free ferroelectrics, as shown by A. Pramanick and co-workers in Advanced Materials. The increased degree of ordering for Nb displacements in a single-crystal of prototypical KNbO₃ under applied electric fields is revealed from in situ measurements of synchrotron diffuse X-ray scattering profiles. As a result of formation of such nanoscale ordered regions, the instability of the crystal lattice towards mechanical deformation is increased, which was demonstrated from inelastic neutron scattering measurements of acoustic phonons. The critical insight regarding a strong correlation between changes in nanoscale atomic displacements and increased lattice instability could be a key for enhancing functional properties of many lead-free ferroelectrics compounds.

About the author

Abhijit Pramanick was awarded his PhD in 2009 from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, for his work on dynamic electric-field-induced structural changes and piezoelectricity in ferroelectric ceramics. After his PhD, he spent one year as a postdoctoral researcher at the Alfred University in New York, USA. Subsequently, he moved to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he spent three and half years working on the applications of different neutron scattering techniques to understand the electric/magnetic field-induced functional responses in ferroelectric single crystals and ferromagnetic shape memory alloys. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Materials Science at the City University of Hong Kong. His current research interests include applications of different neutron and X-ray scattering techniques and multiscale modeling methods to understand structure-property relations in different ferroelectric ceramics and polymers and ferromagnetic Heusler alloys. For his work on ferroelectric ceramics, he was awarded the prestigious Edward C. Henry Award by the American Ceramic Society in the years 2010 and 2012.

Journal Reference

Adv Mater. 2015;27(29):4330-5.

Pramanick A¹, Jørgensen MR², Diallo SO³, Christianson AD⁴, Fernandez-Baca JA⁴, Hoffmann C³, Wang X³, Lan S³, Wang XL¹.

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Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Center for Materials Crystallography, iNano & Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Chemical and Engineering Materials Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.
Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA.

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Abstract

In situ synchrotron X-ray diffuse scattering and inelastic neutron scattering measurements from a prototype ABO3 ferroelectric single-crystal are used to elucidate how electric fields along a nonpolar direction can enhance its piezoelectric properties. The central mechanism is found to be a nanoscale ordering of B atom displacements, which induces increased lattice instability and therefore a greater susceptibility to electric-field-induced mechanical deformation.

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Nanoscale Atomic Displacements Ordering for Enhanced Piezoelectric Properties in Lead-Free ABO3 Ferroelectrics

Significance Statement

About the author

Journal Reference

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