Rochelle salt in an inhomogeneous electric field

The parameters of the hysteresis loop in the ferroelectric Rochelle salt were investigated using a sample with two pairs of electrodes: measurement electrodes and the side ones. It has been shown that the difference between the potentials of the measurement and the side electrodes (generating an inhomogeneous electric field) leads to gradual decay in time t of the remanent polarization P-r. The time required for the hysteresis loop to disappear in the inhomogeneous electric field (not parallel to the ferroelectric axis) decreases with temperature increase from 44 +/- 3 h at - 9 degrees C to 2.3 +/- 0.1 h at 21.9 degrees C. On the other hand, the crystal placed for a sufficiently long time simultaneously in the measuring electric field and in the constant inhomogeneous one may finally exhibit a stationary hysteresis loop with a reduced remanent polarization and the unchanged coercive field. It has been shown that the crystal as a whole does not have to be polarized perpendicularly to the ferroelectric axis in order for its hysteresis loop to be reduced.