The nature of an enhanced ferroelectric phase transition temperature in perovskite-based solid solutions

2004

We explain the phenomena of ferroelectric phase transition temperature $T_c$ enhancement beyond the end members in perovskite solid solutions like BiMeO$_3$-PbTiO$_3$ (Me=Sc, In, etc.) is related to nonlinear and spatial correlation effects. The explanation is based on the calculation of $T_c$ in the framework of our random field theory with additional account for nonlinear effects in the above substances. We show that the maximum of $T_c$ for certain PbTiO$_3$ content takes place when coefficient of nonlinearity is positive, the value of this coefficient is found from best fit between theory and experiment. This nonlinearity coefficient is the only adjustable parameter of the theory. We sh…