High-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction for in situ diffuse scattering studies of bulk single crystals

Abstract

High-energy synchrotron x-ray scattering offers a powerful technique for investigation of single-crystal material structures. Large, mm-sized crystals can be used, allowing complex in situ sample environments to be employed. Here, we demonstrate how this technique can be applied for the collection of single-crystal diffuse scattering volumes from the electro-active material 96%Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-4%BaTiO3 while electric fields are applied in situ. The data obtained allow correlation of the atomic and nanoscale structures with the observed macroscopic electro-active properties of interest. This article presents a recent study relating the nanoscale stacking fault structure in BNT-BT to the relaxor-ferroelectric nature of the material [Daniels et al. in Appl. Phys. Lett. 98, 252904 (2011)], and extends this study with further experimental description and analysis.