Nonlinearity of strain and strain hysteresis in morphotropic LaSr-doped lead zirconate titanate under unipolar cycling with high electric fields

  • Autor:

    Kungl, H; Fett, T; Wagner, S; Hoffmann, MJ

  • Quelle:

    JOURNAL OF ALLIED PHYSICS, 2007, Band 101, Heft 4, S. 44101

Abstract

The strain behavior of morphotropic, 1La2Sr-doped lead zirconate titanate was investigated. Particular attention was paid to the
electric field induced strain (S-E characteristic) in the high field range for morphotropic materials having different Zr/Ti ratios. Unipolar electrical cycles with maximum fields between 1 and 3 kV/mm were applied to the poled materials under load-free conditions. Strain
curves were recorded and the data were evaluated with respect to field dependence of strain and strain hysteresis. Nonlinearity of strain was detected for all materials. Depending on the composition, marked differences were found with respect to the types of nonlinearity. The corresponding data on strain hysteresis indicate that the nonlinearity was due to a loss generating strain mechanism. Therefore the
nonlinearity was attributed to domain switching. A phenomenological model is suggested, which is based on the assumptions of a distribution of domain switching over a field range. This field range is characterized by the activation field parameter E-a, which is specific
for each composition. The model is capable of explaining the types of nonlinearity in strain that have been observed.