Dielectrics is becoming increasingly important due to the rapid developments in electronics, optoelectronics, photonics and nanotechnology. In the past two decades, research on advanced dielectric materials and related applications has undergone an accelerated growth, due in larger part to the discovery of the superior piezoelectric properties in relaxor single crystals, the development of the lead-free piezoelectric/ferroelectric materials and the renaissance of the multiferroics.

This book contains 9 feature articles which, together, provide a comprehensive account on the current state of advanced dielectrics and related phenomena. The first two articles present fundamental knowledge related to the characterization of ferroelectric hysteresis, which is the most widely used method to learn the ferroelectricity experimentally. The latest research progress in relaxor ferroelectric is given in the next two articles. The last five articles are dedicated to the multi-functionality of advanced dielectrics, with emphasis on multiferroic magnetoelectric composites, lead-free piezoceramics, pyroelectric/electrocaloric materials, polymer-based dielectrics, and flexible nanodielectrics.

Contents: The Contribution of Electrical Conductivity, Dielectric Permittivity and Domain Switching in Ferroelectric Hysteresis Loops (Haixue Yan, Fawad Inam, Giuseppe Viola, Huanpo Ning, Hongtao Zhang, Qinghui Jiang, Tao Zeng, Zhipeng Gao and Mike J Reece)Decoding the Fingerprint of Ferroelectric Loops: Comprehension of the Material Properties and Structures (Li Jin, Fei Li and Shujun Zhang)Recent Progress in Relaxor Ferroelectrics with Perovskite Structure (A A Bokov and Z-G Ye)Relaxor Ferroelectrics: Cluster Glass Ground State via Random Fields and Random Bonds (Wolfgang Kleemann)Multiferroic Magnetoelectric Composites: Historical Perspective, Status, and Future Directions (Ce-Wen Nan, M I Bichurin, Shuxiang Dong, D Viehland and G Srinivasan)Lead-free Piezoelectric Ceramics: Alternatives for PZT? (Thomas R Shrout and Shujun J Zhang)Pyroelectric and Electrocaloric Materials (Xinyu Li, Sheng-Guo Lu, Xiang-Zhong Chen, Haiming Gu, Xiao-shi Qian and Q M Zhang)Development of Polymer-based 0–3 Composites with High Dielectric Constant (Lin Zhang and Z-Y Cheng)Flexible Nanodielectric Materials with High Permittivity for Power Energy Storage (Zhi-Min Dang, Jin-Kai Yuan, Sheng-Hong Yao and Rui-Jin Liao)
Readership: Undergraduate and graduate students or professionals interested in condensed matter physics and materials science.Dielectrics;Ferroelectrics;Piezoelectrics;Multiferroics0Key Features:Written by prestigious experts in advanced dielectricsComprehensive review articles with high citationLatest review articles focusing on the hottest research spots in advanced dielectrics