| Abstract Scope |
Application-relevant dielectric and piezoelectric properties of ferroelectrics are often dominated by displacements of domain walls under applied weak fields. Historically, studies on domain-wall contributions have been mostly performed on Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT). Unlike the so-called “normal” ferroelectric PZT, the relaxor ferroelectrics, exemplified by Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT), are characterized by the presence of a particular type of “low-angle” domain walls, which arise from the relaxor disorder. The question is whether and how the dynamics of these interfaces contribute to properties of PMN-PT. In this contribution I will shed light on this problem and try to propose an answer by examining in detail the multiscale structure of PMN-PT. Advanced harmonic analysis of the piezoelectric response, capable to capture details of the nonlinear interface dynamics, will be performed across a great portion of the PMN-PT and PZT phase diagrams, revealing the fundamental differences in the nonlinear response of these important ferroelectric materials. |