ABSTRACT The electromechanical response of ceramics has long been described with Landau Devonshire phenomenology, wherein the strain response is linked to a polynomial expansion in electric field or dielectric displacement. Consequently, the electromechanical response has been modeled with a variety of basis functions. However, these models have failed to accommodate hysteresis and the harmonic response that arises with saturation phenomena. In addition, no quantitative criterion has been used to truncate the expansion. By implementing a discrete Fourier transform in conjunction with Devonshire phenomenology, these three problems can be overcome as demonstrated with a dielectrically aged, lead magnesium niobate relaxor ferroelectric well above its Tmax, i.e., operating in the electrostrictive regime.
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