Origin of morphotropic phase boundaries in ferroelectrics

Muhtar Ahart, Maddury Somayazulu, R. E. Cohen (), P. Ganesh, Przemyslaw Dera, Ho-kwang Mao, Russell J. Hemley, Yang Ren, Peter Liermann and Zhigang Wu
Additional contact information
Muhtar Ahart: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington DC 20015, USA
Maddury Somayazulu: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington DC 20015, USA
R. E. Cohen: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington DC 20015, USA
P. Ganesh: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington DC 20015, USA
Przemyslaw Dera: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington DC 20015, USA
Ho-kwang Mao: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington DC 20015, USA
Russell J. Hemley: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, Washington DC 20015, USA
Yang Ren: Argonne National Laboratory
Peter Liermann: HPCAT, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Advanced Photon Sources, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
Zhigang Wu: The Berkeley Nanosciences and Nanoengineering Institute (BNNI), University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

Nature, 2008, vol. 451, issue 7178, 545-548

Abstract: Piezoelectrics made simple Application of mechanical force to a piezo­electric material generates a voltage; conversely, apply a voltage and you get a force. This combination of properties has many applications, primarily in the generation of ultrasound. The largest electromechanical responses tend to occur in highly complex materials, and the desired properties tend to be maximum when associated with a 'morphotropic' phase transition — an abrupt structural change usually linked to changes in composition. Muhtar Ahart et al. show that a similar phase transition can occur in a simple, pure compound, under high pressure. The compound is the prototypical ferroelectric, lead titanate, and it produces an electro-mechanical response larger than any known. It may be possible to chemically tune these effects to ambient pressures, which would potentially reduce the costs and enhance the utility of high-performance piezoelectric materials.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06459

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