Abstract

Single crystals of lithium niobate (LiNbO3), possessing high birefringence and anisotropic properties have been explored, for a long time, to harness their excellent electro-optic properties. However, their nanoforms are comparatively less explored. In this context, dielectric constant and polarization (P) versus electric-field (E) characteristics of LiNbO3 nanomaterials have been studied. A nonideal P-E loop and a dielectric constant of 20 at the onset of 1 kHz were seen. The electro-optic sensitivity was found to be 4 times as compared to the bulk LiNbO3 crystals. The results are attributed to oxygen vacancies, antisite defects, and grain boundary effects in an already congruent structural matrix of LiNbO3. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America