Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of Bi0.5(Na1-x-yKxAgy)0.5TiO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics Bi0.5(Na1-x-yKxAgy)0.5TiO3 [BNKAT(x/y)] have been synthesized by the mixed oxide method. The effects of the amount of K+ and Ag+ on the electrical properties were examined. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that K+ and Ag+ ions partially substitute for the Na+ ions in Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 and form a solid solution during sintering. At room temperature, the ceramics exhibit good performances with piezoelectric constant d33=189 pC/N, electromechanical coupling factor kp=35.0%, remanent polarization Pr=39.5 μC/cm2, and coercive field Ec=3.3 kV/mm, respectively. The curves of the dielectric constant εr and loss tangent tan δ versus temperature show that the transition temperature from ferroelectric to anti-ferroelectric phase decreases with increasing the K+ content for the compositions researched. The dependencies of kp and polarization versus electric (P–E) hysteresis loops on temperature reveal that the depolarization temperature Td of BNKAT(0.15/0.015) ceramics, which have good piezoelectric properties (d33=134 pC/N, kp=32.5%) and strong ferroelectricity (Pr=39.5 μC/cm2, Ec=4.1 kV/mm) at room temperature, is above 160 °C.