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Evidence of field induced inter-ferroelectric transformation as the dominant driving mechanism for anomalous piezoresponse in the morphotropic phase boundary piezoelectric system PbTiO3-BiScO3

The contributory mechanisms associated with high piezoelectric response in piezoelectric ceramics have been examined by in-situ electric field dependent high energy synchro x-ray diffraction study. A comparative study of electric field induced lattice strain and the propensity for non-180o domain switching on two closeby compositions of a high performance piezoelectric alloy (1-x)PbTiO3-(x)BiScO3, one within the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) region exhibiting d33 of 425 pC/N and another just outside the MPB region exhibiting d33 of 260 pC/N, unravelled that, inspite of the MPB specimen exhibiting considerably high piezoelectric response, its lattice strain and domain switching propensity is considerably less as compared to the non-MPB specimen. These new experimental observations contradict the commonly held view that anomalous piezoelectric response in MPB based piezoelectrics arise due to enhanced propensity for domain switching. Our results show the dominant mechanism contributing to the anomalous piezo-response is field induced interferroelectric transformation.