Exploration of giant piezoelectric materials using high-pressure synthesis and understanding of their mechanisms using thermal measurements

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Many transition metal oxides show interesting ferroelectric and structural phase transitions, as well as useful phenomena such as giant piezoelectric effects. In this study, structural phase transitions in pyrochlore Cd2Nb2O7 and perovskite Pr1-xLaxAlO3 were studied using x-ray scattering and specific heat measurements. Cd2Nb2O7 shows relaxor-like behavior and an unusual sequence of ferroelectric and ferroelastic transitions. Pr1-xLaxAlO3 has Jahn-Teller instabilities and shows unusual ferroelastic transitions. The results provide important perspectives on the emergence of giant piezoelectric effects in related materials.