Twinning Relationships in Coexisting Cubic and Tetragonal Phases of Ferroelectrics

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Gorfman, S., Biran, I., Zhang, N., Ye, Z. -G.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Gorfman, S.
Biran, I.
Zhang, N.
Ye, Z. -G.
author_facet Gorfman, S.
Biran, I.
Zhang, N.
Ye, Z. -G.
contents Many ferroelectric materials undergo thermally driven transitions between cubic and tetragonal phases. Despite being well-known for decades, such transitions still pose unresolved questions, particularly about the role of domains in shaping the transition pathway. It is understood that tetragonal domain assemblages are crucial for mismatch-free coexistence of both tetragonal and cubic phases, as described by the Weschler-Lieberman-Read (WLR) crystallographic theory. However, direct experimental characterization of domain patterns during the phase transition remains challenging. Here, we enhance the single-crystal X-ray diffraction to investigate domain microstructures during cubic-tetragonal phase transition, leveraging the bulk-penetrating and non-destructive character of this method. We extend the WLR model by the analytical expressions for the orientation relationships between the real and reciprocal bases of the cubic phase and tetragonal domains. We systematically catalogue the Bragg peak separations for 24 possible coexistence variants and validate these predictions using 3D reciprocal space maps from a piezo-/ferroelectric PMN-35PT crystal at phase coexistence temperatures. Our results provide a framework for interpreting domain configurations during the phase transition and offer insights applicable to other systems involving orientation relationships in coexisting phases.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_23868
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Twinning Relationships in Coexisting Cubic and Tetragonal Phases of Ferroelectrics
Gorfman, S.
Biran, I.
Zhang, N.
Ye, Z. -G.
Materials Science
Many ferroelectric materials undergo thermally driven transitions between cubic and tetragonal phases. Despite being well-known for decades, such transitions still pose unresolved questions, particularly about the role of domains in shaping the transition pathway. It is understood that tetragonal domain assemblages are crucial for mismatch-free coexistence of both tetragonal and cubic phases, as described by the Weschler-Lieberman-Read (WLR) crystallographic theory. However, direct experimental characterization of domain patterns during the phase transition remains challenging. Here, we enhance the single-crystal X-ray diffraction to investigate domain microstructures during cubic-tetragonal phase transition, leveraging the bulk-penetrating and non-destructive character of this method. We extend the WLR model by the analytical expressions for the orientation relationships between the real and reciprocal bases of the cubic phase and tetragonal domains. We systematically catalogue the Bragg peak separations for 24 possible coexistence variants and validate these predictions using 3D reciprocal space maps from a piezo-/ferroelectric PMN-35PT crystal at phase coexistence temperatures. Our results provide a framework for interpreting domain configurations during the phase transition and offer insights applicable to other systems involving orientation relationships in coexisting phases.
title Twinning Relationships in Coexisting Cubic and Tetragonal Phases of Ferroelectrics
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.23868