To more fully understand the relaxer ferroelectric PST, i.e., Pb(Sc0.5Ta0.5
)O-3, the relationship between dielectric properties and some microstructur
al characteristics were studied. These include the use of electron microsco
py (SEM and TEM) and X-ray microanalysis to study intergranular inclusion.
Significant structural and chemical variations were found in Pb-rich sphero
ids. In addition using fractal theory, fractal dimensions, D, of the cerami
c grain boundaries were obtained, by image processing techniques. It was fo
und that D could be successfully related to grain boundary configuration, w
hich can be related to the dielectric properties.