Complementary diffuse and inelastic synchrotron X-ray scattering measurements of lead zirconate-titanate single crystals with composition near the morphotropic phase boundary (x=0.475) are reported. In the temperature range 293 K < T < 400 K a highly anisotropic quasielastic diffuse scattering is observed. Above 400 K this scattering disappears. Its main features can be reproduced by model of inhomogeneous lattice deformations caused by inclusions of a tetragonal phase into a rhombohedral or monoclinic phase. This observation supports the idea that PZT at its morphotropic phase boundary is essentially structurally inhomogeneous.
@article{arxiv.1204.5878,
title = {Structural heterogeneity and diffuse scattering in morphotropic lead zirconate-titanate single crystals},
author = {R. G. Burkovsky and Yu. A. Bronwald and A. V. Filimonov and A. I. Rudskoy and D. Chernyshov and A. Bosak and J. Hlinka and X. Long and Z. -G. Ye and S. B. Vakhrushev},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1204.5878},
year = {2013}
}