Revealing the role of the constant phase element in relaxor ferroelectrics

Relaxor ferroelectrics exhibit both static and dynamic local structural order which controls their frequency-dependent electrical properties. A combination of advanced scattering and microscopy techniques have been used recently to determine the local structure of relaxors. To complement these, here we show an approach to electrical property measurements which identifies local dipoles whose switching is co-operative, temperature-dependent and responsible for the observed dispersion in dielectric properties. Impedance measurements and equivalent circuit analysis of a canonical relaxor, Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 single crystal, over the ranges 180–1050 K and 100 Hz–1 MHz, show that incorporation of a single constant phase element into the equivalent circuit used to fit experimental data is able to account fully for the dispersions that characterise the relaxor response, over this frequency range. This allows parametrisation of the relaxor behaviour, gives increased understanding of the relaxation mechanisms responsible and forms the basis for modifying and controlling relaxor characteristics.