Determination of functional center local environment in copper-modified Pb[Zr0.54Ti0.46]O-3 ceramics

Ferroelectric copper(II)-modified polycrystalline Pb[Zr0.54Ti0.46]O-3
ceramics with a dopant concentration of 0.25 mol % were investigated by
means of electron paramagnetic resonance and hyperfine sublevel
correlation spectroscopy. Special emphasis was put on the resolution of
the Pb-207 hyperfine couplings, which were resolved in the first and
second coordination sphere. The results prove that copper is
incorporated at the octahedrally coordinated [Zr,Ti] site, acting as an
acceptor and disfavor a directly coordinated oxygen vacancy to the
copper center for charge compensation.