Elastic and quasielastic neutron scattering studies in KBr:KCN mixed crystals

Abstract

Neutron scattering studies in (KBr)1–x(KCN)x mixed crystals are presented utilizing powder diffraction, single crystal diffraction and time-of-flight techniques. Forx>0.6 (KBr)1–x(KCN)x crystals exhibit ferroelastic and ferroelectric low-temperature phases. Crystals withx<0.6 undergo transitions into an orientational glass state. Here we present a detailed phase diagram including new results for x=0.85 and x=0.65. For the latter system a stable rhombohedral low-temperature phase has been detected where the orientational disorder of the plastic phase is only partly removed and quadrupolar relaxations between three body diagonals are still possible. From the powder diffraction experiments we determined further the concentration dependence of the static Debye-Waller factors which can be explained by an interplay of the rotation-translation and the rotation-random strain coupling. With single crystal diffraction techniques we studied the diffuse scattered intensities which are directly related to the order parameter of the glass state. The temperature dependence of the quasielastic intensities near the critical concentration shows a strong increase forT<110K indicative for a freezing-in of shear fluctuations which is a characteristic feature of a non-ergodic instability. This phenomenon appears for ordering (x=0.65) and for non-ordering, glassy compounds. A further anomaly in (KBr)0.43(KCN)0.57 at 75 K is interpreted in terms of a residual elastic ordering process. With high-resolution time-of-flight techniques we analysed the dynamic structure factor for x=0.57. We demonstrate that the central peak consists of a static and a dynamic component. The results are compared with mode coupling theories which describe the glass transition in supercooled liquids.