Cation ordering, ferrimagnetism and ferroelectric relaxor behavior in Pb[.sub.2/3][W.sub.1/3] [O.sub.3] solid solutions

• Published in: The European physical journal. B, Condensed matter physics Condensed matter physics, 2019-11, Vol.92 (8)
• Main Authors: Ivanov, Sergey A, Beran, Premysl, Bush, Alexandr A, Sarkar, Tapati, Shafeie, Samrand, Wang, Duo, Sanyal, Biplab, Eriksson, Olle, Sahlberg, Ma, Kvashnin, Yaroslav, Tellgren, Roland, Nordblad, Per, Mathieu, Roland
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Annealing; Perovskite; Solid solutions
• ISSN: 1434-6028
• DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2019-100149-9

Ceramic samples of the multiferroic perovskite Pb[([Fe.sub.1-x][Sc.sub.x]).sub.2/3][W.sub.1/3][O.sub.3] with 0 [less than or equal to] x [less than or equal to] 0.4 have been synthesized using a conventional solid-state reaction method, and investigated experimentally and theoretically using first-principle calculations. Rietveld analyses of joint synchrotron X-ray and neutron diffraction patterns show the formation of a pure crystalline phase with cubic (Fm[bar.3]m) structure with partial ordering in the B-sites. The replacement of Fe by Sc leads to the increase of the cation order between the B' and B" sites. As the non-magnetic [Sc.sup.3+] ions replace the magnetic [Fe.sup.3+] cations, the antiferromagnetic state of Pb[Fe.sub.2/3][W.sub.1/3][O.sub.3] is turned into a ferrimagnetic state reflecting the different magnitude of the magnetic moments on the B' and B" sites. The materials remain ferroelectric relaxors with increasing Sc content. Results from experiments on annealed and quenched samples show that the cooling rate after high temperature annealing controls the degree of cationic order in Pb[([Fe.sub.1- x][Sc.sub.x]).sub.2/3][W.sub.1/3][O.sub.3] and possibly also in the undoped Pb[Fe.sub.2/3][W.sub.1/3][O.sub.3].