Textured-Ba(Zr,Ti)O3 piezoelectric ceramics fabricated by templated grain growth (TGG)

Ba(Zr0.085Ti0.915)O-3 (BZT) ceramics were grain-oriented (textured) in the < 001 >-orientation using the Templated Grain Growth (TGG) process. The piezoelectric response of the textured samples was enhanced when poled and measured in the < 001 >-textured direction. The d(33)-coefficients for samples measured with a low drive field (< 5 kV/cm) displayed values as high as similar to 975 pC/N. These d(33)-coefficients were at least three times greater than randomly-oriented BZT ceramics and equally greater than many lead-free piezoelectric ceramics reported in literature. This work successfully demonstrated that grain-oriented BZT ceramics display piezoelectric coefficients (d(33)-coefficients) that are similar to currently used lead-based materials. This strategy may allow these ceramics to potentially replace some of the lead-based ceramics that are currently being used in various low-temperature and low-drive piezoelectric applications.