Structure study of amorphous lead titanate by the energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction method

The radial distribution function of rapidly quenched amorphous PbTiO₃ with 10 mol% B₂O₃ was determined by the energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction method. The shortest Pb-Pb interatomic distance and its coordination number are 3.85(1) Å and 6.6(6) respectively. The second-shortest interatomic distance is not 2^1/2 times but 3^1/2 times that of the first. These facts suggest that the amorphous structure is different from that derived from the perovskite structure, the structure of the starting material; a possible basic structure of the amorphous state is a pyrochlore-like structure.