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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Ferroelectricity was induced in SrTiO3 by the Sr exchange for Pr ion in the A site of the perovskite ABO3-type structure. X-ray diffraction patterns show single phase crystalline structure in the SrxPr1-xTiO3 compound for x=0, 0.025, 0.050, 0.075 and 0.1 compositions. Rietveld refinement shows that the unit cell volume decreases with the increasing of Pr content as a consequence of the difference between Sr/Pr ionic radii. Furthermore, high-temperature differential thermoanalysis (DTA) displays a small anomaly at about 118 °C which is probably due to the Pr ion producing a distortion of the perovskite structure via an off-center site. This deformation in the lattice induces a measurable polar behavior of the solid solution. Dielectric permittivity (ε vs T) measurements display a well defined peak at about 238 °C. Furthermore, a well defined hysteresis loop at 30 °C with a remnant polarization that tends to decrease with increasing Pr concentration is observed. Both experimental results confirm the ferroelectric state induced by the Pr ion.