Aging in Tetragonal Ferroelectric Barium Titanate

Abstract

The aging phenomenon in tetragonal ferroelectric bairum titanate was investigated by optical microscopy and by electrical measurements. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe in detail domain reactions which occurred during aging. Aging may be characterized as an exhaustion‐type process because of the increase in the apparent activation energy with time. It is concluded that aging is the relief of the residual stresses of the ferroelectric transition by the thermally activated nucleation of 90° domains.