Temporal effect of low-temperature ferroelectric behaviors in Pb0.97La0.02(Zr0.60Sn0.30Ti0.10)O3 ceramics

Kinetic behaviors of unusual low-temperature ferroelectric properties of Pb0.97La0.02(Zr0.60Sn0.30Ti0.10)O-3 ceramic were studied. In a wide temperature range it reveals the antiferroelectric properties with pronounced polarization versus electrical field hysteresis double loops resulting from the field-induced antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric switching. The reverse switching time is temperature dependent, and below 210 K this time overcomes the reasonable laboratory time scale. Kinetic data were analyzed to yield the activation energy. At as low as 100 K all experimental results suggest that the ground state of the system remains antiferroelectric, thus the time-dependent dielectric properties owe their origin to the kinetic effects. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.