Phenomenological description of phase transitions in thin BaTiO3 films

Phase transitions in thin epitaxial films of BaTiO3 are described phenomenologically in terms of Landau potentials with sixth-and eighth-order terms. It is established that the phase diagram depends on the electrostrictive constant Q(12). The phase diagrams calculated for different values of Q(12) available in the literature differ qualitatively. The dependence of the misfit strain of a film on the film tetragonality at room temperature is found, which makes it possible to determine the thermodynamic path in the phase diagram for a specific film. The dependences of the spontaneous polarization and dielectric constant of a film on the misfit strain at room temperature are constructed.