Specific heat of ferroelectric Pb(Zr1−xTix)O3 ceramics across the morphotropic phase boundary

Ferroelectric ceramic materials have a wide range of applications because of their piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties. One of their most important physical properties is the specific heat. In this study, the specific heats of a series of Pb(Zr1−xTix)O3 (x = 0.41 to 0.48) (PZT) compositions in the vicinity of and across the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) were measured and analyzed. The temperature range was from 1.8 to 300 K. It is believed that these are the lowest temperature specific heat measurements ever made on PZT. Absolute entropy and enthalpy were computed from the specific heat data. Differences between the specific heats of the different compositions were very small. However, the calculated Debye temperatures were slightly different. The composition with the highest Debye temperature (x = 0.47, ΘD = 274 K) was within the morphotropic phase boundary. The results are useful in computing design parameters for technical devices.