Grain growth behavior of ferroelectric ceramics under anisotropic grain boundary energy conditions simulated by the phase field method.

The grain growth behavior of ferroelectric ceramics is different from that under the condition of an isotropic grain boundary energy, owing to the existence of many high-energy grain boundaries. A simple phase-field model based on the anisotropy of the grain boundary energy was developed to simulate the microstructure evolution of ferroelectric ceramics. The effects of the anisotropy of the grain boundary energy on the grain growth behavior and formation of characteristic regions were investigated using the phase-field method. The experimental data confirmed the simulation results. It was observed that the rapid migration of high-energy grain boundaries and slow migration of low-energy grain boundaries resulted in the appearance of both, small grains with edge numbers greater than six and numerous strip grains. The grain microstructures showed a specific orientation distribution in the 2-D cross section. The anisotropy of grain boundary energy can regulate the grain orientation distribution. This work provides a basis for microstructure control and the stable preparation of high-performance ferroelectric ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]