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Diffuse Neutron Scattering Study of a Disordered Complex Perovskite Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 Crystal

D. La-Orauttapong·J. Toulouse·J. L. Robertson·Z. -G. Ye
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Abstract

Diffuse scattering around the (110) reciprocal lattice point has been investigated by elastic neutron scattering in the paraelectric and the relaxor phases of the disordered complex perovskite crystal-Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3(PZN). The appearance of a diffuse intensity peak indicates the formation of polar nanoregions at temperature T*, approximately 40K above Tc=413K. The analysis of this diffuse scattering indicates that these regions are in the shape of ellipsoids, more extended in the <111> direction than in the <001> direction. The quantitative analysis provides an estimate of the correlation length, ξ, or size of the regions and shows that ξ<111>~1.2ξ< 001>, consistent with the primary or dominant displacement of Pb leading to the low temperature rhombohedral phase. Both the appearance of the polar regions at T*and the structural transition at Tc are marked by kinks in the ξ< 111> curve but not in the ξ< 001> one, also indicating that the primary changes take place in a <111> direction at both temperatures.

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D. La-Orauttapong, J. Toulouse, J. L. Robertson, Z. -G. Ye. 2001-09-13. Diffuse Neutron Scattering Study of a Disordered Complex Perovskite Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 Crystal. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.64.212101

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