Electric-field–temperature phase diagram of the ferroelectric relaxor system (1 − x)Bi1/2Na1/2TiO3 − xBaTiO3 doped with manganese

The electric-field–temperature phase diagram for the lead-free relaxor material (1 − x)(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3 − xBaTiO3 (x = 0.03, 0.06, and 0.09) doped with 0.5 mol% Mn (BNT-100xBT:Mn) was established. Transition lines between ergodic or nonergodic relaxor states and the field-induced ferroelectric state were determined at constant temperatures with electric-field-dependent measurements of the polarization as well as of the piezoelectric coefficient and permittivity. Near the depolarization temperature Td, the switching between two ferroelectric poling directions occurs in two steps via an intermediate relaxor state. This effect is closely related to the pinching of the ferroelectric hysteresis loop.