Growth, electric and thermal properties of lead scandium niobate-lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate ternary single crystals

Single crystals of the xPb(SC1/2Nb1/2)O-3-yPb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-ZPbTiO(3) successfully been grown by a flux method using 71.4 mol% PbO-28.6 mol% B2O3 Aux. The crystals were grown in a platinum crucible by mass crystallization achieved by the slow cooling of a 50PbO : 20B(2)O(3) : 30PSMNT 29/34/37 (mol%) molten solution from 1,200 degreesC to 880 degreesC at 1.2 degreesC/h. The resulting two types of crystals, 2-3 mm in length with perovskite structure and 5-7 mm in length with pyrochlore structure, coexist. Inductive charge plasma (ICP) chemical analysis revealed that the composition of the pulverized powder of perovskite crystal is PSMNT 43/17/40: which is slightly different from the charged composition of PSMNT 29/34/37. One of the single crystals near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) showed a dielectric constant peak of 200 degreesC. The grown PSMNT crystals show good thermal stability of the perovskite phase with partical decomposition starting at 1128 degreesC and peritectic melting at 1308 degreesC.