Growth and morphological aspects of Pb[(Sc1/2 Nb1/2)0.58Ti0.42]O3 single crystals by slow-cooling technique

We report here the effect of growth parameters on the growth process of Pb[(Sc1/2 Nb1/2)0.58Ti0.42]O3 (PSN–PT) single crystals in the flux method. PSN–PT single crystals have been grown by the slow-cooling technique using PbO+B2O3 flux. The size of the crystals varies from 1 to 4 mm, mostly showing regular cubic shape. Pure perovskite phase formation has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction technique. Rietveld analysis reveals that the grown crystals have the monoclinic structure in the Cm space group. This is consistent with the recent reports revealing monoclinic structure in relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals. Scanning electron and optical microscopic studies have been used to analyze the surface morphology of the crystals and to predict the structural changes during growth. Dielectric measurement of (0 0 1) showed a dielectric maximum near 234 °C (Tc), which is higher than that of PZN–PT and PMN–PT.