Electric-field-induced non-ergodic relaxor to ferroelectric transition in BiFeO(3)–xSrTiO(3) ceramics

While BiFeO(3)-based solid solutions show great promise for applications in energy conversion and storage, realizing this promise necessitates understanding the structure–property relationship in particular pertaining to the relaxor-like characteristics often exhibited by solid solutions with polar-to-non-polar morphotropic phase boundaries. To this end, we investigated the role of the compositionally-driven relaxor state in (100 − x)BiFeO(3)–xSrTiO(3) [BFO–xSTO], via in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction under bipolar electric-field cycling. The electric-field induced changes to the crystal structure, phase fraction and domain textures were monitored via the {111}(pc), {200}(pc), and 1/2{311}(pc) Bragg peaks. The dynamics of the intensities and positions of the (111) and (111̄) reflections reveal an initial non-ergodic regime followed by long-range ferroelectric ordering after extended poling cycles. The increased degree of random multi-site occupation in BFO–42STO compared to BFO–35STO is correlated with an increase of the critical electric field needed to induce the non-ergodic-to-ferroelectric transition, and a decrease in the degree of domain reorientation. Although both compositions show an irreversible transition to a long-range ferroelectric state, our results suggest that the weaker ferroelectric response in BFO–42STO is related to an increase in ergodicity. This, in turn, serves to guide the development of BFO-based systems into promising platform for further property engineering towards specific capacitor applications.