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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Phase transition of chemically doped uniaxial relaxor ferroelectric
S Chillal1, D Koulialias, S N Gvasaliya
1Neutron Scattering and Magnetism, Laboratory for Solid State Physics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
We report a neutron scattering study of the ferroelectric phase transition in Sr0.585Ce0.025Ba0.39Nb2O6 (SBN-61:Ce). We find no evidence for a soft transverse optic phonon. We do, however, observe anisotropic diffuse scattering. This scattering has inelastic and elastic contributions. In the paraelectric phase the susceptibility associated with the elastic diffuse scattering from SBN-61:Ce increases on approaching the transition temperature. In the ferroelectric phase the lineshape of the elastic scattering is consistent with the form expected for the ferroelectric domain walls. In contrast to the macroscopic observations, the scattering properties of Ce-doped crystal do not exhibit important changes with respect to those of pure Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6.
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