The diffuse phase transition in ferroelectrics with mesoscopic heterogeneity has been discussed within the context of a superparaelectric model by using the Ginzburg-Landau formalism. In the Curie region ferroelectrics with mesoscopic heterogeneity are treated as 'superparaelectrics' consisting of a mass of polar clusters, each of which has Ising character. Based on the mean-field theory, the influence of the finite-size effects of polar clusters on their structural instability has been discussed by considering a coherent lattice coupling between two structurally different regions. In particular, we have analytically derived the explicit solutions of the distribution of local polarizations. In turn, the processes of polar nanophase precipitation and coarsening have been also discussed in conjunction with the local chemical or structural inhomogeneity. Moreover, we have also analyzed the relationship between the local polarization distribution and the static dielectric susceptibility in ferroelectrics with the nanometric scale heterogeneity. The width of the Curie region is dependent upon the distribution of the sum of localized correlation length, which reflects the size distribution of heterogeneity. The presented analysis reveals that the diffuse phase transition is closely associated with the existence of nanometric polar clusters and their physical size distribution. Intriguingly, our theoretical results bear a very close resemblance to most experimental observations.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.55.12067