Phonon mode and dielectric function dynamics of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-xSm2Ti2O7 ceramics during the phase transitions discovered by Raman scattering and spectroscopic ellipsometry.

Recently, Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-based ceramics have drawn widespread attention due to their excellent energy storage properties. Here, a comprehensive analysis of the composition- and temperature-driven transition processes in (1 − x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-xSm2Ti2O7 (BNST-x) polycrystals have been presented using Raman scattering and spectroscopic ellipsometry. With increasing Sm2Ti2O7 content, BNST-x ceramic gradually becomes disordered and belongs to the superparaelectric state at x = 0.12 near room temperature. Moreover, the thermal evolution of the lattice kinetic behaviors shows two crucial temperatures: the depolarization temperature Td and the temperature at the maximum dielectric permittivity Tm, which suggest the transitions from nonergodic relaxor ferroelectric—ergodic relaxor (ER) ferroelectric and ER ferroelectric—superparaelectric, respectively. It is noteworthy that the series of changes is closely related to the ordering degree of the B-site ion affected by the doping and the temperature. This work gives an insight into the connection among the phonon behavior, electronic transition, and lattice structure of BNST-x ceramics, which can further understand the phase transition mechanisms under the doping and thermal field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]