Processing optimization and piezoelectric properties of textured Ba(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramics

The (h00) textured Ba(Zr0.085Ti0.915)O-3 (BZT) ceramics were fabricated by templated grain growth method using plate-like BaTiO3 (BT) template powders. The results show that the ceramics exhibit (h00) preferred orientation and a high orientation degree (Lotgering's factor) of 85% calculated from XRD patterns was obtained. The effects of sintering temperature and BT content on the grain orientation and dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric properties of the textured BZT ceramics have been investigated. The piezoelectric coefficient d(33), strain level, normalized strain (S-max/E-max) level, and remnant polarization P-r of the textured BZT ceramics first increased and then decreased with the rising of sintering temperature and BT template addition due to the high degree of orientation and relative high density. The textured BZT ceramics exhibit high anisotropy dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties in the directions of parallel and perpendicular to the tape casting plane and the ceramics in parallel direction show better electric properties than those of the ceramics in perpendicular direction. The optimized sintering temperature and template content were obtained with the maximum piezoelectric coefficient d(33) = 234 pC/N, the maximum strain levels of 0.22% and the maximum normalized strain (S-max/E-max) level of 550 pm/V. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.