Electromechanical Properties of Lead‐Free Nb‐Doped 0.95Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃‐0.05BaZrO₃ Piezoelectric Ceramics

Abstract

Lead-free piezoelectric 0.95(Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 Ti 1Àx Nb x )O 3 -0.05BaZrO 3 (BNTN-BZ5) ceramics (with x ¼ 0-0.02) are synthesized by a conventional mixed oxide route. The crystalline phase, microstructure and electromechanical properties of the BNTN-BZ5 are investigated as a function of different Nb content. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the formation of single phase perovskite structure for all samples. The polarization response decrease while the dielectric and field-induced strain response increase when a small amount (x ¼ 0.005) of Nb is incorporated in 0.95(Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 Ti)O 3 -0.05BaZrO 3 (BNT-BZ5). An enhanced field-induced strain (S max ¼ 0.37%) with a corresponding dynamic piezoelectric coefficient (d à 33 ) of 542 pm V À1 is observed for x ¼ 0.005 at an applied electric field of 7 kV mm À1 .