Dielectric properties of fine-grained PbTiO3 crystals precipitated in a glass

The spontaneous deformation of PbTiO₃ crystals precipitated in a PbOTiO₂Al₂O₃SiO₂ glass was found to decrease with decreasing grain size. This trend remains even after the glass matrix surrounding PbTiO₃ crystals is removed completely by HNO₃ acid immersion. Consequently, a linear electro-optic effect cannot be expected from transparent glass-ceramics which necessarily comprise very-fine-grained crystals. The dielectric constant of PbTiO₃ crystals surrounded by a glassy matrix shows two maxima at grain sizes 0.15 μm and 250 Å, but is still fairly high even at a grain size as small as 160 Å. This suggests that a material with a large quadratic electro-optic effect may be produced from a transparent glass-ceramic. The maxima of the dielectric constant at grain sizes 0.15 μm and 250 Å were interpreted in terms of the internal stress and internal electric field, respectively.