Correlated reorientations in NH4Al(SO4) · 12 H2O single crystals

Abstract

Single crystals of aluminium ammonium alum NH4Al(SO4)2.12H2O were investigated using dielectric spectroscopy in the frequency range 1 kHz to 1 GHz. On approaching the ferroelectric transition at 58 K from above, a monodispersive polar mode is observed to slow down. The relaxation data can be described in terms of a pure Arrhenius law. The analysis of the dielectric loss reveals that in the paraelectric phase the static susceptibility cannot be described by a single Curie-Weiss law. The thermal variations of the Curie constant indicate that the dipolar correlations of the ammonium ions increase as the temperature is lowered.