Diffuse phase transition in (Ba, Ca) TiO3ceramics

Abstract
Dielectric behaviour of (Ba, Ca) TiO3 ceramics prepared by conventional and a novel technique has been studied as function of temperature and frequency. It is shown that by ensuring uniform distribution of Ca2+ ions in the BaTiO3 matrix, the transition from the ferroelectric to the paraelectric phase becomes more diffuse and is free from any relaxational effects at least up to 10 KHz. It is suggested that the relaxor behaviour of ceramics exhibiting diffuse phase transitions is due to the limitations of the processing techniques and is not the intrinsic property of the material.