Ultrasonic imaging and submarine sonar technologies often rely on materials called ferroelectric relaxors, which are known for their unique electromechanical properties. A study published in Advanced Functional Materials from a team including Oak Ridge National Laboratory has revealed several mechanisms behind the material's behavior. Instead of having one order parameter ? which describes how a material transitions between different phases ? the relaxors exhibit two order parameters. "This strange effect happens because disorder makes the material more complex. It is very unusual and interesting because classical theories simply do not consider this type of behavior," ORNL co-author Sergei Kalinin said. Researchers say that understanding the materials' underlying mechanisms could help develop and improve relaxor devices for applications in sensing, imaging and energy harvesting.
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