Polarization behavior in diffuse phase transition of BaxSr1−xTiO3 ceramics

Ultrawide band dielectric spectroscopy analysis of barium strontium titanate [BaxSr1−xTiO3 (BST)] ceramics at different temperatures disclosed a contribution of the dipole and the ionic polarizations to their diffuse phase transition (DPT). In the BST ceramics, thermal behavior of the ionic polarization governs the DPT. The dielectric maximum temperature (Tm) is in agreement with the maximum temperature of the permittivity determined by the ionic polarization. The maximum of the permittivity determined by the ionic polarization at the Tm is caused from the decrement of the vibration frequency of the soft mode. The dipole polarization gives small contribution to the DPT. The gradual increase in the permittivity determined by the dipole polarization with decreasing temperature could be explained by the increase in the size of the polar nanoregions.