Characterization of α ↔ β PbF2 phase transition by several techniques

X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Dynamic-Mechanical Analysis (DMA), Impedance Spectroscopy (IS), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) have been used to the study of α → β phase transition in PbF2 pellets pressed uniaxially in the 37 MPa–480 MPa range. A mixture of β and α phases is detected and the α-phase content at room temperature is found to be dependent on the applied load. The dilation results on DMA, the phase identification by XRD, the ionic conductivity results by IS analysis and the SEM micrographs of β-PbF2 pellets show evidences for the increase in α-phase content at the expense of the β-phase. SEM analysis provided further evidence for specimen sintering under heating at approximately 498 K.