Field-Induced Ferroelectric Phase Transition Dynamics in PMN-PT compositions near the Morphotropic Phase Boundary

Abstract

The dynamical behavior of field-induced ferroelectric phase transitions in compositions of PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3(1-x)-PbTiO3(x) (PMN-PT) near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) was investigated using several electric-field application protocols. Our results show that PMN-PT compositions near the MPB exhibit phase-transition dynamics that differ markedly from those far below the MPB. We demonstrate that electric-field history significantly affects the field-induced transition temperature Tc, zero-field-cooling (ZFC) delay time tau_ZFC, and induced polarization Pc gained or lost during the transition. Furthermore, under specific field-temperature conditions, PMN-PT retains a memory of its electric-field history and uses it to kinetically accelerate ferroelectric ordering. We propose an explanation for the differences in phase-transition dynamics between MPB-proximal and MPB-distant compositions, contextualized within prior literature.