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Nature 441, 941-942 (22 June 2006) | doi:10.1038/441941a; Published online 21 June 2006

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Materials science: Relaxors go critical

R. E. Cohen1

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Relaxor ferroelectrics are fascinating and useful materials, but they seem to be heterogeneous, hopeless messes. Observing what they do under electric fields reveals critical behaviour that helps to make sense of them.

Piezoelectrics — materials that convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, and vice versa — form the alarms in our watches, the warning buzzers in our cars, and the transducers used in sonar and medical ultrasound. They are also being used for knifeless surgery and to build tiny pumps and motors for medical applications.

  1. R. E. Cohen is at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington DC 20015, USA.
    Email: cohen@gl.ciw.edu

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