A phase-field study of domain dynamics in ferroelectric BCT-BZT system

We present a thermodynamically consistent phase-field model describing the free energy of perovskite-based BCT-BZT solid solution containing an intermediate morphotropic phase boundaries. The Landau coefficients are derived as functions of composition of zirconium. The electrostrictive and elastic constants are appropriately chosen from experimental findings. The resulting Landau free energy is constructed to describe the stable polarization states as a function of composition. The evolution of the polarization order parameters at a particular composition is described by a set of time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equations. Additionally, we solve Poisson’s equation and mechanical equilibrium equation to account for the ferroelectric/ferroelastic interactions. We have performed two dimensional and three-dimensional simulations with appropriate electrical boundary conditions to study the effect of external electric field on domain dynamics in BCT-BZT system at the equimolar composition.