Giant strain in lead-free relaxor/ferroelectric piezocomposite ceramics

The crystal structural, ferroelectric, and electric-field-induced-strain (EFIS) properties of leadfree relaxor/ferroelectric piezocomposites were investigated. The relaxor-matrix phases were mixed with the ferroelectric-seed phases by using a conventional ceramic processing route. The addition of the ferroelectric seed phase dramatically enhanced the EFIS of the relaxor matrix phase at low electric fields. Giant strains of 745 pm/V at 4 kV/mm and 466 pm/V at 3 kV/mm were obtained when the seed contents were 30 wt% and 50 wt%, respectively, which are much higher than those of the relaxor matrix phase without ferroelectric seeds (575 pm/V at 4 kV/mm and 327 pm/V at 3 kV/mm).