Strontium barium niobate explained

Strontium barium niobate is the chemical compound Sr_xBa_1−xNb₂O₆ for 0.32≤x≤0.82.

Strontium barium niobate is a ferroelectric material commonly used in single crystal form in electro-optics, acousto-optics, and photorefractive non-linear optics for its photorefractive properties.

Strontium barium niobate is one of the few tetragonal tungsten bronze compounds without volatile elements making it a useful system for probing structure-property relations. Strontium barium niobate is a normal ferroelectric for Barium-rich compositions and becomes a relaxor ferroelectric with increasing strontium content.^[1] This has been attributed to positional disorder of the A-site cations ^[2] alongside incommensurate oxygen octahedral tilting ^[3]

Strontium barium niobate is one of numerous ceramic materials that are known to exhibit abnormal grain growth, in which certain grains grow very large within a matrix of finer equiaxed grains. This abnormal grain growth (AGG) has significant consequences on the dielectric and electronic performance of strontium barium niobate ^[4]

Notes and References

1. 76 . Anisotropic Glasslike Characteristics of Strontium Barium Niobate Relaxors . 1994 . 490–496 . Journal of Applied Physics . 10.1063/1.357100. Huang . W. H. . Viehland . Dwight . Neurgaonkar . R. R. . 1 . 1994JAP....76..490H .
2. 31 . A Study of Positional Disorder in Strontium Barium Niobate . 1996. 1435–1443 . Journal of Materials Science . 10.1007/bf00357850. Trubelja . M. P. . Ryba . E. . Smith . D. K. . 6 . 1996JMatS..31.1435T . 94242966 .
3. 97 . Effects of A1/A2-sites Occupancy upon Ferroelectric Transition in (SrxBa1-x)Nb2O6 Tungsten Bronze Ceramics . 2014 . 507–512 . Journal of the American Ceramic Society . 10.1111/jace.12659.
4. Lee. H.-Y.. Freer. R.. The mechanism of abnormal grain growth in Sr_0.6Ba_0.4Nb₂O₆ ceramics. J. Appl. Phys.. 1997. 81. 1. 376–382. 10.1063/1.364122. 1997JAP....81..376L.