Compositional ordering and phase transitions in Pb(Yb0.5Nb0.5)O3

The possibility of varying the compositional long-range order parameter s and the influence of s on the ferroelectric properties of pure and Li-doped Pb(Yb 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3 ceramics have been studied. X-ray diffraction and dielectric measurements were used. A compositional order-disorder phase transition was discovered at 1120 degrees C (in doped ceramics). It was shown that in the course of material synthesis the compositionally ordered perovskite structure is formed at comparatively low temperatures (800 degrees C) and the s value may be reduced during sintering at higher temperatures. The pure ceramic remains ordered after sintering because the rate of s change in it is much lower than in the doped material. Low-temperature sintered doped ceramics are characterized by spatial non-homogeneities of s, causing the appearance of two (or more) anomalies in the temperature dependence of the permittivity. The T-s phase diagram has been investigated. Materials with a low s (ss c ) a paraelectric to antiferroelectric phase transition is observed. Thus there is a triple point at s=s c . The Curie temperature T C is quadratic in s and a minimum in the T C (s) curve is observed at the triple point, which is in agreement with the earlier theoretical treatment of Bokov et al.