Microstructure of (Ba0.75,Sr0.25)TiO3 based glass-ceramics doped by Mn

We studied microstructure, surface morphology, and domain structure of (Ba0.75,Sr0.25)TiO3 based glass-ceramics with different amount of Mn additive (from 0 to 0.5%) prepared from melted and quenched mixed powders using several microscopic methods. The as-quenched sample was annealed and subjected to a controlled crystallization in air for 2h at temperatures 850 and 950°C. It was shown that the addition of the Mn up to 0.5% had no impact on morphology and domain structure. The dendrite structure was revealed in the samples crystallized at 850°C. The geometry of the clusters was analysed in terms of fractal approach. The faceted grains with size about 150 nm were found in ceramics annealed at 950°C. Individual grains demonstrated non-uniform piezoresponse, which could be attributed to existence of domain structure.