Growth and characterization of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3–PbZrO3 single crystals with high rhombohedral/tetragonal phase transition temperature

Ferroelectric single crystals Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3–PbZrO3 (PMN–PT–PZ) near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) with the composition, PMN–PT–PZ (0.603/0.347/0.05) (starting materials), were grown directly from the melt by the slow cooling process. The local composition and structure of the as-grown crystals were analysed by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The electrical properties of the PMN–PT–PZ single crystals oriented along the (001) axis were characterized. The measured dependence of dielectric constants on temperature showed that the rhombohedral/tetragonal phase transition temperature ( T R – T ) was 127 ∘C, and this T R – T temperature was a significant increase compared to that of PMN–PT single crystals near its MPB. Our results show that the obtained PMN–PT–PZ ferroelectric single crystals are promising for high-temperature applications.