THE EFFECTS OF UNIAXIAL-STRESS AND TEMPERATURE ON THE BEHAVIOR OF ANTIFERROELECTRIC CERAMICS

In this study the effects of pre-stress and temperature on a lead lant hanum stannate zirconate titanate (PLSnZT) composition were examined, with an emphasis on the phase transformation behavior. An experimental setup capable of applying 9000 N of uniaxial stress was carefully des igned such that the clamping effect due to sample/fixture contacts is minimized. With this setup, both the polarization and displacement und er a quasi-static electric field can be measured simultaneously at dif ferent temperatures. Interestingly, the overall strain of the PLSnZT c omposition increases with increasing uniaxial stress. This might be th e result of re-orientation of antiferroelectric domains under pre-stre ss. The composition also showed excellent stability in strain over the temperature range 20 to 75 degrees C under stress as high as 100 MPa.