The growth of abnormal grains of PMN-35PT containing Σ3 twin boundaries was compared with that of untwinned abnormal grains of PMN-35PT. It was thought that the twinned abnormal grains might have a growth advantage because of the presence of re-entrant edges. The aforementioned types of grain were embedded in a PMN-35PT polycrystalline matrix with 3vol% of excess PbO, and grown by annealing in an O atmosphere at 1150C for varying times. It was found that abnormal grains containing Σ3 boundaries exhibited a comparable degree of growth to that of the untwinned grains. Furthermore, for the twinned seed crystals, the extent of growth was independent of whether there was any initial entrapped porosity within the abnormal grain.

Seeded Growth from Twinned and Untwinned Abnormal Grains of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-35mol%PbTiO3 in a Matrix Containing PbO Additions. D.J.Rockosi, E.P.Gorzkowski, P.T.King, A.M.Scotch, H.M.Chan, M.P.Harmer: Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2004, 87[7], 1339