Nb : BST: Crystal growth and ferroelectric properties

Nb substituted barium strontium titanate single crystals were grown by the high-temperature solution growth technique with different Nb concentrations . The growth conditions were optimized to grow good quality large sized sin gle crystals. Nb doping reduced the twin formation considerably and yielded bulk single crystals. A surface morphology observation indicates layer and hopper growth mechanisms. Powder X-ray diffraction studies show an increas e in cia ratio with Nb content, and ferroelectric studies revealed a decrea se in curie temperature and a sharp increase in dielectric constant and spo ntaneous polarization. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.