Lead scandium tantalate explained

Lead scandium tantalate (PST) is a mixed oxide of lead, scandium, and tantalum. It has the formula Pb(Sc_0.5Ta_0.5)O₃. It is a ceramic material with a perovskite structure,^[1] where the Sc and Ta atoms at the B site have an arrangement that is intermediate between ordered and disordered configurations, and can be fine-tuned with thermal treatment. It is ferroelectric at temperatures below 270K,^[2] and is also piezoelectric.^[3] Like structurally similar lead zirconate titanate and barium strontium titanate, PST can be used for manufacture of uncooled focal plane array infrared imaging sensors for thermal cameras.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Chu . Fan . Fox . Glen R. . Setter . Nava. Nava Setter . Dielectric Properties of Complex Perovskite Lead Scandium Tantalate under dc Bias . Journal of the American Ceramic Society . 21 January 2005 . 81 . 6 . 1577–1582 . 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1998.tb02519.x .
2. Groves . P . Low-temperature studies of ferroelectric lead scandium tantalate . Journal of Physics C: Solid State Physics . 10 December 1985 . 18 . 34 . L1073–L1078 . 10.1088/0022-3719/18/34/002 .
3. De Kroon . A. P. . Dunn . S. C. . Whatmore . R. W. . Piezo- and pyroelectric properties of lead scandium tantalate thin films . Integrated Ferroelectrics . February 2001 . 35 . 1–4 . 209–218 . 10.1080/10584580108016902 . 2001InFer..35..209D . 98163109 .
4. Book: Todd . Michael A. . Donohue . Paul P. . Watton . Rex . Williams . Dennis J. . Anthony . Carl J. . Blamire . Mark G. . Randolph E . Longshore . Sivalingam . Sivananthan . Materials for Infrared Detectors II . High-performance ferroelectric and magnetoresistive materials for next-generation thermal detector arrays . 1 December 2002 . 4795 . 88 . 10.1117/12.452244. 110191731 .