Determination of functional center local environment in copper-modified Pb[Zr0.54Ti0.46]O3 ceramics

Ferroelectric copper(II)-modified polycrystalline Pb[Zr0.54Ti0.46]O3 ceramics with a dopant concentration of 0.25 mol % were investigated by means of electron paramagnetic resonance and hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy. Special emphasis was put on the resolution of the Pb207 hyperfine couplings, which were resolved in the first and second coordination sphere. The results prove that copper is incorporated at the octahedrally coordinated [Zr,Ti] site, acting as an acceptor and disfavor a directly coordinated oxygen vacancy to the copper center for charge compensation.