Dielectric properties of BTZ-BCT ceramics were probed in the frequency range from 10 Hz to 100 THz in a broad temperature range (10-900 K). Polar soft phonon observed in infrared spectra softens with cooling, however below 500 K its frequency becomes temperature independent. Simultaneously, a central mode activates in terahertz and microwave spectra; and it actually drives the ferroelectric phase transitions. Consequently, the phase transition strongly resemble a crossover between the dispacive and order-disorder type. The central mode vanishes below 200 K. The dielectric relaxation in the radiofrequency and microwave range anomalously broadens on cooling below TC1 resulting in the nearly frequency independent dielectric loss bleow 200 K. This broadening comes from a broad frequency distribution of ferroelectric domain wall vibrations. Raman spectra reveal new phonons below 400 K, i.e. already 15 K above TC1. Several weak modes are detected in the paraelectric phase up to 500 K in the Raman spectra. Activation of these modes is ascribed to the presence of polar nanoclusters in the material.
@article{arxiv.1607.05914,
title = {Broad-band dielectric response of BTZ-BCT piezoceramics: soft and central mode behaviour},
author = {S. Kamba and E. Simon and V. Skoromets and V. Bovtun and M. Kempa and J. Pokorny and M. Savinov and J. Koruza and B. Malic},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1607.05914},
year = {2016}
}