Comparison of Surface and Bulk Crystal Structure in the xBiFeO3-(1-x)PbTiO3 Solid Solution System

Sintered high density compacts from the BiFeQ₃- PbTiO₃ solid solution series were fabricated using conventional mixed-oxide techniques. The compacts were then prepared and examined using conventional X-ray diffraction. This surface measurement showed a large region of co-existence of two crystallographic phases, rhombohedral and tetragonal. Examination of the bulk material using transmission of synchrotron generated x-rays shows there to be a large difference between the surface and bulk structures. However, upon heat treatment, the structure at the surface transforms into a phase assemblage more closely resembling that of the bulk.