Multifold polar states in Zn-doped Sr_(0.9)Ba_(0.1)TiO_3 ceramics

摘要

We investigate the effect of Zn doping on the dielectricity and ferroelectricity of a series of polycrystalline Sr0.9-xZnxBa0.1TiO3(0.0% ≤ x ≤ 5.0%) ceramics. It is surprisingly observed that the Zn doping will produce the multifold polar states, i.e., the Zn-doped ceramic will convert a reduced polar state into an enhanced polar state, and eventually into a stabilized polar state with increasing the doping level x. It is revealed that in the background of quantum fluctuations, the competition between the Zn-doping-induced lattice contraction and the Ba-doping-induced lattice expansion is responsible for both the reduced polar state and the enhanced polar state coming into being. Also, the addition of the antiferrodistortive effect, which is the antipolar interaction originating from the opposite tilted-Ti O6 octahedra rotation, represents the core physics behind the stabilized polar state.