Temperature induced dielectric polarization evolution in polycrystalline Pb(Cd1/3Nb2/3)O3

The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dilatometric and dielectric measurements performed for the same polycrystalline Pb(Cd1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PCN) sample are presented. These results reveal the complex character of polycrystalline PCN dielectric properties; in particular, no structural phase transition (PT) was observed. The thermal expansion coefficient indicates glass-like behaviour of PCN. The frequency and temperature dependencies of complex dielectric permittivity were measured and analyzed in terms of diffused/relaxor transition of the ferroelectric polarization. Temperature induced evolution of the relative dielectric permittivity was found to involve two processes. Dielectric permittivity changes, originating from thermally induced evolution of thermal equilibrium of interactions between main structural lattice and two sub-lattices present in the sample were interpreted in terms of thermal evolution of polar cluster sizes in the region of relaxor/glass-like transition.