Possibility of relaxor-type ferroelectricity in delafossite CuCrO2 near room temperature

Abstract Ceramic sample of CuCrO2 was synthesized via a solid-state reaction method. XANES, dielectric, ferroelectric, pyroelectric, synchrotron x-ray diffraction (SXRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Raman measurements were performed on the prepared sample. Ferroelectric hysteresis loop, PUND, and pyroelectric current measurements indicate the presence of ferroelectricity in the prepared sample. The appearance of a broad maximum in dielectric permittivity and its frequency dispersion indicates the possibility of relaxor-type ferroelectricity in the system. Furthermore, TEM measurements revealed the presence of nano regions that are speculated to be polar and hence are giving rise to relaxor-type ferroelectricity. Careful analysis of XRD data indicates that the distorted CrO6 octahedra is giving rise to strain in the sample. This strain might be responsible for the observed nano regions, which might be polar, in the otherwise non-polar matrix. It is proposed that these polar regions are responsible for the presence of relaxor-type ferroelectricity in the sample.