Domain wall dynamics near the phase transition in PZN-9%PT

To investigate the paraelectric-ferroelectric phase transition in relaxor Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-9% PbTiO3, correlations and scaling relations were measured from the domain structure of single crystals near the Curie temperature using a multifractal analysis. The dynamics of the domain walls were observed in (100) platelets using polarized light microscopy. The complexity of the domain wall distribution was evaluated by means of its fractal dimension and singularity spectrum. The changes in the energy state of the samples are assessed by measuring changes of the spatial distribution of the walls as a function of temperature; this can be used to estimate the specific heat.