Harnessing Inter-ferroelectric Phase Transformations: Path to large transduction and giant energy conversion

Relaxor ferroelectric single crystals with composition near a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) are attractive for applications in actuators, transducers, and low-power sensors due to their extremely large piezoelectric response. Notoriously, this MPB can be moved through the application of stress or electric field induced rhombohedral (R) ferroelectric to orthorhombic (O) ferroelectric phase transition in [011] cut Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) single crystal relaxor ferroelectric. The aim of this talk is twofold. First, I will present the results demonstrating how possible to achieve simultaneous electric and elastic control of ferroelectric phases in PIN-PMN-PT that can be tuned through combination of stress and applied electric field. Direct observations of this phase transition with X-ray and Raman scattering reveal the local symmetry while sweeping through the transition with a low applied electric field (0.35% for tens of millions of cycles with little fatigue. Second, I will discuss these results of the observed lack of fatigue in terms of very low energy barrier between two phases that might be explaining practically anhysteretic and simultaneous polarization switching. Details of these results on the inter-ferroelectric phase transition.and implications to further development of a wide range of devices will be presented.