Local structure analysis of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3

The potential lead-free piezoelectric material bismuth sodium titanate, Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 (BNT), was investigated by means of high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. BNT has been assumed thus far to exhibit the rhombohedral space group R 3 c at room temperature. Recently, the average structure of BNT was described by the monoclinic space group C c . We performed a local structure analysis of BNT using atomic pair-distribution function method. The ground state of BNT was found to have a rhombohedral structure in which bismuth and sodium atoms were chemically ordered in the perovskite A -site.