Lead scandium tantalate (PST) is a mixed oxide of lead, scandium, and tantalum. It has the formula Pb( Sc_0.5 Ta_0.5) O₃. It is a

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

material with a

perovskite structure A perovskite is any material with a crystal structure following the formula ABX3, which was first discovered as the mineral called perovskite, which consists of calcium titanium oxide (CaTiO3). The mineral was first discovered in the Ural mou ...

, where the Sc and Ta atoms at the B site have an arrangement that is intermediate between ordered and disordered configurations, and can be fine-tuned with thermal treatment. It is

ferroelectric Ferroelectricity is a characteristic of certain materials that have a spontaneous electric polarization that can be reversed by the application of an external electric field. All ferroelectrics are also piezoelectric and pyroelectric, with the ad ...

at temperatures below , and is also

piezoelectric Piezoelectricity (, ) is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials—such as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA, and various proteins—in response to applied mechanical stress. The word '' ...

. Like structurally similar

lead zirconate titanate Lead zirconate titanate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula (0≤''x''≤1), commonly abbreviated as PZT. Also called lead zirconium titanate, it is a ceramic perovskite material that shows a marked piezoelectric effect, meaning ...

and barium strontium titanate, PST can be used for manufacture of uncooled focal plane array

infrared imaging Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of Light, visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from ...

sensors for

thermal camera A thermal column (or thermal) is a rising mass of buoyant air, a convective current in the atmosphere, that transfers heat energy vertically. Thermals are created by the uneven heating of Earth's surface from solar radiation, and are an example ...

References

Lead(II) compounds Scandium compounds Tantalates Ceramic materials Ferroelectric materials Piezoelectric materials Infrared sensor materials Perovskites {{Inorganic-compound-stub