Effect of ZnO Nanoparticles on the Sintering Behavior and Physical Properties of Bi0.5(Na0.8K0.2)0.5TiO3 Lead-Free Ceramics

Sintered Bi0.5(Na0.8K0.2)0.5TiO3 + x wt.% ZnO nanoparticle (BNKT–xZnOn) ceramics have been fabricated by conventional annealing with the aid of ultrasound waves for preliminary milling. Because of the presence of the liquid Bi2O3–ZnO phase at the eutectic point of 738°C, the sintering temperature decreased from 1150°C to 1000°C, and the morphology phase boundary of BNKT–xZnOn ceramics can be clarified by two separated peaks at (002)T and (200)T of 2θ in the x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The improvement of ferroelectric properties has been obtained for BNZT–0.2 wt.% ZnOn ceramics by the increase of remanent polarization up to 20.4 μC/cm2 and a decrease of electric coercive field down to 14.2 kV/cm. The piezoelectric parameters of the ceramic included a piezoelectric charge constant of d31 = 78 pC/N; electromechanical coupling factors kp = 0.31 and kt = 0.34, larger than the values of 42 pC/N, 0.12 and 0.13, respectively, were obtained for the BNKT ceramics.