Anomalous coercive field enhancement and phase transitions in 30Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3–40Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–30PbTiO3 ferroelectrics under pressure

Abstract

We investigated the spectroscopy and ferroelectric properties of 30Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3–40Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–30PbTiO3 (30PIN-40PMN-30PT) single crystal as a function of pressure up to about 5 GPa. The hysteresis loops indicate that the ferroelectric properties of 30PIN-40PMN-30PT remain relatively stable below 1.4 GPa. Beyond this threshold, polarization experiences a sharp decline from 1.4 to 2.4 GPa, accompanied by an anomalous increase in coercive field (Ec) in this pressure range. The maintenance of polarization before 1.4 GPa is due to the slight suppression of lattice distortion in the ambient phase and strong suppression after that is from a phase transition and coexistence of multiphases, the latter of which also leads to the enhancement of Ec. When the phase transfers to a pure tetragonal phase after 2.4 GPa, polarization stabilizes at a plateau once more. At 4.0 GPa, current loop measurements reveal a complete loss of ferroelectric properties, signifying a structural phase transition to a paraelectric phase, evidenced by a new Raman peak at 370 cm−1. Further compression results in an absence of ferroelectricity altogether. These findings demonstrate that the material composition of 30PIN-40PMN-30PT is capable of enduring certain high pressure while maintaining commendable ferroelectric properties—providing crucial support for applications in deep-sea transducers.