Enhanced piezoelectric properties of sodium bismuth titanate (Na0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15) ceramics with B‐site cobalt modification

The piezoelectric properties of the cobalt‐modified sodium bismuth titanate (Na_0.5Bi_4.5Ti₄O₁₅, NBT) piezoelectric ceramics were investigated. The piezoelectric properties of NBT ceramics were significantly enhanced by cobalt modification. The Curie temperature T_C and piezoelectric constant d₃₃ for the 0.3 wt% cobalt‐modified NBT ceramics (NBT‐C3) were found to be 663 °C and 30 pC/N, respectively. Thermal annealing studies presented that the cobalt‐modified NBT ceramics possess stable piezoelectric properties, demonstrating that the cobalt‐modified NBT‐based ceramics are promising candidates for high temperature piezoelectric applications. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

KNN Based Lead-Free Piezoceramics with Improved Thermal Stability

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics （1 - x） （Na0.53K0.404 Li0.066）Nb0.92 Sb0.08 03 ＋xZrTiO3 are fabricated by conventional solid-state sintering method, and their dielectric and piezoelectric characteristics are investigated. With the addition of SrTiO3, the growth of the grain size is restrained, meanwhile the phase transition temperature of orthorhombic-tetragonal is shifted below room temperature. It is found that the ceramics with x = 0.010 exhibit excellent piezoelectric properties （d33 = 220 pC/N, kp = 41%, kt = 39%） and improved thermal stability around room temperature. The results indicate that these materials are promising lead-free piezoceramics for practical operations.     

Effects of Li Substitution and Sintering Temperature on Properties of Bi0.5（Na,K）0.5TiO3 Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics

Bi0.5 （Na0.72K0.28- x Lix ）0.5 TiO3 （BNKLT- 100x） lead-free piezoelectric ceramics are synthesized by conventional solid state sintering techniques. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the BNKLT-100x ceramics as a function of Li content are systematically investigated. It is found that not only Li content but also the sintering temperature has a strong effect on the piezoelectric properties of BNKLT. The piezoelectric constant d33 Of BNKLT varies from 120 to 252pC/N in the Li content range from 0.03 to 0.16. In the sintering temperature range from 1080 to 1130℃, the d33 value of BNKLT-6 changes from 200pC/N to 252pC/N. The BNKLT-6 sample sintered at 1100℃ has the highest piezoelectric constant d33 of 252pC/N, with the electromechanical coupling factors kp of 0.32 and kt of 0.44.     

Characterization of lead free (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3-LiSbO3 piezoceramic

(K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ (KNN) based lead free ceramics have been fabricated by a solid state reaction. In this work, LiSbO₃ (LS) modified KNN based ceramics were sintered at atmospheric pressure and high density (>96% theoretical) was obtained. The detailed elastic, dielectric, piezoelectric and electromechanical properties were characterized by using the resonance technique combined with the ultrasonic method. The full set of material constants for the obtained polycrystalline ceramics were determined and compared to the pure hot pressed KNN counterpart. KNN-LS polycrystalline ceramic was found to have higher elastic compliance, dielectric permittivity and piezoelectric strain coefficients, but lower mechanical quality factor, when compared to pure KNN, exhibiting a “softening” behavior. However, a high coercive field (∼17 kV/cm) was found for the LS modified KNN material. The properties as a function of temperature were determined in the range of −50-250 ^°C, showing a polymorphic phase transition near room temperature, giving rise to improved piezoelectric behavior.     

Microstructure,dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of Ce‐modified Na0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15 high temperature piezoceramics

The cerium modified sodium bismuth titanate (Na_0.5Bi_4.5Ti₄O₁₅, NBT) piezoelectric ceramics have been prepared by using the conventional mixed oxide method. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed that the cerium modified NBT ceramics have a pure four‐layer Aurivillius phase structure. The piezoelectric activity of NBT ceramics was found significantly improved by the modification of cerium. The Curie temperature T_c, and piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ for the NBT ceramics with 0.50 wt% cerium modification were found to be 655 °C, and 28 pC/N respectively. The Curie temperature gradually decreased from 668 °C to 653 °C with the increase of cerium modification. The dielectric spectroscopy showed that the samples possess stable piezoelectric properties, demonstrating practical potential that for high temperature applications. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Ferroelectric Properties of Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 Thin Films Crystallized inDifferent N2/O2 Ambients

Bi3.25La0.75 Ti3O12 （BLT） ferroelectric thin films are deposited by sol-gel method and annealed for crystallizaion in total l eccm N2/02 mixed gas with various ratio at 750℃ for 30rain. The effect of crystallization ambient on the structural and ferroelectric properties of the BLT films is studied. The growth direction and grain size of BLT film are revealed to affect ferroeleetric properties. Alter the BLT film is annealed in 20%O2, the largest P~ value is obtained, which is ascribed to an increase of random orientation and large grain size. The fatigue property is improved with the concentration of oxygen in the ambient increasing, which is ascribed to annealing in the ambient with high concentrated oxygen adequately decreasing the defects related to lack of oxygen.     

Lead‐free piezoelectric (Na0.5Bi0.5)0.94TiO3–Ba0.06TiO3 nanofiber by electrospinning

Lead‐free (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)_0.94TiO₃–Ba_0.06TiO₃ (NBT‐BT6) nanofibers were synthesized by the sol–gel process and electrospinning, and a butterfly‐shaped piezoelectric response was measured by scanning force microscopy. NBT‐BT6 nanofibers with perovskite phase were formed, after being cleaned at 700 °C for 1 hour, and the diameters are in the range of 150 nm to 300 nm. The average value of the effective piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ is 102 pm/V. The high piezoelectricity may be attributed to the easiness for the electric field to tilt the polar vector of the domain and to the increase of the possible spontaneous polarization direction. There is a potential for the application of NBT‐BT6 nanofibers in nanoscale piezoelectric devices. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

（Na0.52K0.44Li0.04）Nb0.9-xSbxTa0.1O3 Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics with High Performance and High Curie Temperature

（Na0.52K0.44Li0.04）Nb0.9-x Sbx Ta0.1O3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics are prepared by a solid-state reaction method. With increasing Sb content, the transition temperature from orthorhombic to tetragonal polymorphic phase decreased. A composition （Na0.52K0.44Li0.04）Nb0.863Sb0.037Ta0.1O3 is found to possess excellent piezo- electric and electromechanical performances （d33 = 306pC/N, kp =48%, and kt=50%）, and high Curie temperature （Tc = 320 ℃）. These results indicate that （Na0.52K0.44Li0.04）Nb0.863Sb0.037 Ta0.1O3 is a promising lead-free piezoceramics replacement for lead zirconate titanate.     

Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of [(K0.4725Na0.4725)Li0.055]NbO3–(Ag0.5Li0.5)TaO3 lead‐free ceramics

New lead‐free piezoelectric (1 – x)[(K_0.4725Na_0.4725)Li_0.055]NbO₃– x (Ag_0.5Li_0.5)TaO₃ [(1 – x)KNNL–x ALT] ceramics were prepared by conventional sintering. Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties and Curie temperature of the ceramics were studied. The (1 – x)KNNL–x ALT (x = 0.04) ceramics exhibit good properties (d₃₃ ～ 252 pC/N, k_p ～ 41%, T_C ～ 471 °C, T_o–t = 47 °C, P_r = 33.1 μC/cm², E_c = 10.6 kV/cm). These results show that (1 – x)KNNL–x ALT (x = 0.04) ceramic is a promising lead‐free piezoelectric material for high temperature application. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Phase transformation in (0.90−x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-xPbTiO3-0.10PbZrO3 piezoelectric ceramic: X-ray diffraction and Raman investigation

Piezoelectric ceramics with compositions of (0.90−x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbTiO₃-0.10PbZrO₃, x=0.28, 0.31, 0.34, 0.37, 0.40 and 0.43, were prepared using the conventional columbite precursor method, and their structural phase transformation and piezoelectric behaviors near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) have been systematically investigated as a function of PbTiO₃ content. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrate that the structure of the ceramics experiences a gradual transition process from rhombohedral phase to tetragonal phase with the increasing of PbTiO₃ content, and that compositions with x=0.34-0.40 lie in the MPB region of this ternary system. A Raman spectra investigation of the ceramic samples testified to the transformation process of rhombohedral phase to tetragonal phase by comparing the relative intensities of tetragonal E(2TO₁) mode and rhombohedral phase R_h mode. The structure information was also correlated to the parabola change of the piezoelectric constant; the maximum piezoelectric constants were obtained near the MPB region.     

Improvement in Dielectric Tunability of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO4-Mg2TiO4 Composite Ceramics via Heterogeneous Nucleation Processing

Dielectric tunable composite ceramics Ba0.6Sr0.4 TiO4-Mg2 TiO4 （BST-MT） are prepared with a heterogeneous nucleation sol-gel approach. The Mg2 TiO4 powders are synthesized by the conventionM solid-state reaction method. The micro-sized MT powders with dispersant Ciba-4010 are introduced into Ba-Sr-Ti sol to obtain uniform and homogeneous mixture compounds with nano-sized BST particles synthesized via heterogeneous nucleation （HN） in the sol-gel process. Thus, the mierostructural and dielectric properties can be tailored. The dielectric constants of BST-MT composite ceramics can be adjusted in a larg＇e range from 294 to 1790, and the dielectric tunability can be adjusted from 29.4% to 37.0% with different MT contents from 60wt% to 20wt%. Compared to the samples prepared by the conventional solid-state （SS） process, the BST-MT composite ceramics by the heterogeneous nucleation sol-gel process exhibit a more uniform microstructure, and improve dielectric properties.     

Polarized Micro-Raman Study of the Temperature-Induced Phase Transition In 0.67 Pb（Mg1/3Nb2/3）O3-0.33PbTiO3

Polarized Raman spectra of ferroelectric relaxor 0.67Pb（Mg1/3Nb2/3）O3-0.33PbTiO3 （0.67PMN-0.33PT） single crystal are systematically investigated in a wide temperature range from -196 to 600℃ by micro-Raman scattering technique. The results clearly reveal that there are two structural phase transitions in such composite ferroelectric relaxor： the rhombohedral-tetragonal （R- T） phase transition and the tetragonal-cubic （T- C） phase transition. The former occurs at about TR-T =34℃, corresponding to the vanishing of the soft A1 mode at 106cm^-1 recorded in the parallel polarization. The latter appears at about TT-C = 144℃, which can be verified with the vanishing of mode at 780cm^-1 measured in the crossed polarization.     

Influences of compressive stress and aging on dielectric properties of sodium bismuth titanate ceramics

The influences of compressive stress and aging on dielectric properties of undoped and Fe-doped sodium bismuth titanate (NBT) ceramics were investigated. The dielectric properties were decreased significantly with the compressive stress applied parallel to the electric field direction, while the changes were reversed with the stress applied perpendicularly. In addition, lower changes of the dielectric properties with stress were observed in Fe-NBT ceramics, likely caused by an enhanced relaxor characteristic with the acceptor doping, which also reduced the aging rate in the ceramics. Finally, the aging behavior of the NBT and Fe-NBT ceramics followed the slightly stretched exponential law, and the aging rate in both ceramics was found to decrease with frequency, a result of the pinning of the polarization components. These observations clearly confirmed the role of the acceptor dopant in enhancing the relaxor ferroelectric characteristics in the NBT-based ceramics.     

Dielectric, piezoelectric and elastic properties of tetragonal BiScO3-PbTiO3 single crystal with single domain

Modified BiScO₃-PbTiO₃ (BSPT) tetragonal single crystals were grown using high temperature solution method. The dielectric, piezoelectric and elastic properties of single domain BSPT crystals, after poling along [001] crystallographic direction, have been determined experimentally using the resonance method. The results showed that the BSPT tetragonal crystals possess good piezoelectric properties, with electromechanical coupling factor about 88% and piezoelectric coefficient over 400 pC/N at room temperature. BSPT tetragonal crystals have high Curie temperature around 436 °C and high coercive field ∼28 kV/cm, also, the crystal exhibited a very good temperature stability of the properties till 380 °C. For comparison, the material constants of tetragonal Pb(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-PbTiO₃ (PZNT) single crystals were measured and listed in this paper.     

Microstructure,dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of 0.38Bi(Gax Sc1–x )O3–0.62PbTiO3 high temperature piezoelectric ceramics

0.38Bi(Ga_x Sc_1–x )O₃–0.62PbTiO₃ (BGSPTx) ceramics have been prepared by using the conventional mixed oxide method. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed that BGSPTx has a pure perovskite structure, and the crystal symmetry of BGSPTx changed from rhombohedral to tetragonal with increasing Ga content (x). The Curie temperature (T_C) of BGSPTx ceramics is in the range of 448–467 °C for different x. The ferroelectric phase transition of BGSPTx was found to be of the first order type according to the Curie–Weiss law. For x = 0.125, BGSPTx ceramics show enhanced piezoelectric properties: piezoelectric constant d₃₃ = 420 pC/N and d₃₁ = –142 pC/N, planar and thickness electromechanical coupling factors k_p = 56.27% and k_t = 56.00%, respectively. The high‐T_C of BGSPTx coupled with its excellent piezoelectric properties suggests those future high‐temperature applications. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of 90° domain switching on the physical properties of tetragonal barium titanate single crystals

In this paper, we report the influence of 90° domain switching on the physical properties of tetragonal BaTiO₃ single crystals. It is found that the contribution of 90° domain switching to the piezoelectric response is much larger in magnitude than the contribution of the direct piezoelectric effect under large external mechanical stress. Simultaneously, the interconversion of a and c crystallographic axes and the large actuation strain as high as 1% is induced by 90° domain switching in the tetragonal BaTiO₃ single crystal.     

Electromechanical properties and dielectric behavior of (Bi1/2Na1/2)(1−1.5x)BixTiO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

Bismuth doped bismuth sodium titanate ceramics [(Bi_1/2Na_1/2)_(1−1.5x)Bi_xTiO₃, x=0 to 0.06] were prepared, and the resulting effects on the microstructure and dielectric properties were examined. All of the Bi-doped ceramics exhibited a single phase of perovskite structure with rhombohedral symmetry. The poling leakage current was significantly reduced by the doping of Bi, facilitating the poling process of the ceramics. The doping with Bi enhances the piezoelectric properties and increases the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of the ceramics. At 2 mol% Bi-doping level, the ceramics exhibit a large remanent polarization of 47 μC/cm² and a relatively low coercive field of 71 kV/cm, while their d₃₃ and k_p reach a maximum value of 95 pC/N and 21%, respectively.     

Properties of vanadium-doped SrBi4Ti4O15 ferroelectric ceramics

Using the standard solid-state reaction method, several vanadium-doped ferroelectric ceramics of type SrBi_4−x/3Ti_4−xV_xO₁₅ (SBTV-x) were synthesized. The vanadium doping content, x, ranges from 0.000 to 0.06. The crystal structure of SrBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ is not affected by V-doping. The electric breakdown voltage of the samples increases with V content. Meanwhile, V-doping results in a notable enlargement of remnant polarization (2P_r). The 2P_r of STBV-0.03 reaches a very large value, which is over 50 μC/cm² and is nearly twice greater than that at zero doping. The Curie temperatures of V-doped samples decrease slightly in comparison with that of SrBi₄Ti₄O₁₅. V-doping can improve the electric properties of SrBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ without sacrificing its thermal stableness.     

Enhanced depolarization temperature in 0.90NBT–0.05KBT–0.05BT ceramics induced by BT nanowires

The depolarization temperature (T_d) of piezoelectric materials is an important figure of merit for their application at elevated temperatures. This study focuses on the effect of BaTiO₃ (BT) nanowires on T_d and piezoelectric properties of morphotropic-phase-boundary 0.90NBT–0.05KBT–0.05BT ceramics. The results reveal that BaTiO₃ nanowires can pin the domain wall, leading to the increase of coercive field (E_c) from 21.06 kV/cm to 34.99 kV/cm. The T_d value of 0.90NBT–0.05KBT–0.05BT ceramics can be enhanced approximately 20 °C when using BT nanowires instead of BT solution as the raw material. Meanwhile, at the same polarization conditions, the piezoelectric constant of the ceramic added BT nanowires (172 pC/N) is decreased but still remains a larger value compared with those of other lead-free ceramics. The results imply that the addition of BT nanowires into NBT–KBT is a very effective route to improve T_d.     

Relaxor Behaviour and Ferroelectric Properties of （Li0.12Na0.88） （Nb0.9-xWa0.10Sbx）O3 Lead-Free Ceramics

New lead-free ceramics （Lio.12Na0.88） （Nbo.9-x Ta0.10 Sbx） 03 （0.01 × 0.06） are synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of the ceramics are studied. The dielectric constant dependence with temperature and frequency of the ceramic specimen with x = 0.04 shows typical characteristics of relaxor ferroelectrics, and the Vogel-Fulcher relationship is fulfilled. The dielectric behaviour and its relation to the phase transition phenomena are discussed. The polarization hysteresis loops at room temperature are also measured.