Crystallization of Pb((Zn,Mg)^sub 1/3^Nb^sub 2/3^)O^sub 3^-PbTiO^sub 3^ Thin Films Via Immobilization of Pb^sup 2+^ Ions During Sol-Gel Process

In this work, a modified sol-gel process using a crown ether, 18-crown-6 (18C6) as complexing agent to synthesize 0.77(0.6Pb(Zn...,Nb...)O...-0.4Pb(Mg...,Nb...)O...))-0.23PbTiO...(PZMN-PT) thin films is reported. With the addition of 18C6, perovskite phase directly crystallized from the amorphous films at a temperature as low as 460...C and the crystallinity was significantly enhanced. The promotion of 18C6 on perovskite formation can be attributed to the immobilization of Pb... ions, which facilitates the columbite-like crystallization route. The pure-perovskite films obtained by annealing at 460...C exhibit the optical and electrical properties comparable to literature data. Our studies therefore indicate a general approach by using crown ethers as complexing agent to synthesize the thermodynamically unstable ferroelectric materials, such as PMN- and PZN-based systems. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)