S8 – Structure-property Relationships in Relaxor Ceramics

Relaxor materials are finding increasing application in fields like telecommunications, energy storage, sensors, and actuators. Although it is universally accepted that relaxor behavior occurs in chemically-substituted systems, the range of phenomena leading to relaxor behavior is very broad and at large, still unclear. In particular, the role of differently charged substituents, their distribution in the lattice, and the arrangement of polar order/disorder on multiple length scale needs to be uncovered. The combination of advanced nano- to micro-scale characterization methods in synergy with multiscale modeling (from ab initio to molecular dynamics) can be expected to deliver key insights to better understand the structure-property relationships in relaxors.

This symposium targets specifically the interplay of local structure, chemistry, and instabilities induced by substitution and electric polarization on multiple length scales, and how it impacts macroscopic properties relevant for application. Both lead-based and lead-free perovskite relaxors will be addressed, together with relaxors in non-perovskite crystalline forms.  Innovative work in novel relaxor systems is especially welcome.

Proposed Sessions                                

• Local structure of relaxors
• Multiscale modelling of relaxors
• Advanced nano- and microscale characterization methods for relaxors
• Perovskite relaxors and non-perovskite relaxors
• Novel relaxor systems

Symposium Organizers

• Marco Deluca, Materials Center Leoben Forschung GmbH, Leoben, AUSTRIA, marco.deluca@mcl.at
• Prasanna V. Balachandran, University of Virginia, USA, pvb5e@virginia.edu
• Antonio Feteira, Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom, a.feteira@shu.ac.uk
• Jiri Hlinka, Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic, hlinka@fzu.cz