BARC/PUB/2014/1191

 
 

Effect of particle size and strain on phase stability of (Li0.06 Na0.94) NbO3

 
     
 
Author(s)

Mishra, S. K.; Shinde, A. B.; Krishna, P. S. R.
(SSPD)

Source

Journal of Applied Physics, 2014. Vol. 115 (17): pp. 174104.1-174104.7

ABSTRACT

Alkaline niobates are most suitable and excellent candidates for lead free piezoceramics, as they exhibit morphotropic phase boundary and have ultra-large piezoresponse similar to them. We provide direct experimental evidence of ferroelectric to paraelectric phase transition in (Li0.06Na0.94 )NbO3 with reduction of particle size using a combination of x-ray and neutron powder diffraction techniques at room temperature. Detailed Rietveld analyses of x-ray data show variation of particle sizes from micrometer to nanometer for sintered, calcined, and ball milled powders. The ferroelectric orthorhombic phase for micron sized powder (~1.17lm) is found to transform to paraelectric phase by reducing particle size to ~10.8nm. The crystal structure of paraelectric phase has been identified with tetragonal symmetry (P42/mmc) and is found to be a post perovskite phase. The low temperature neutron diffraction studies on the powders with different particle sizes reveal that orthorhombic to rhombohedral phase transition gets suppressed with reducing particle size.

 
 
SIRD Digital E-Sangrahay