Abstract
Bismuth sodium titanate, (Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3 (BNT)-based solid solution, a(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–bKNbO3–c1/2(Bi2O3·Sc2O3) (a+b+c=1), [KTNS(100a/100b/100c)], was studied for its dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties, as a new group of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. Electrical measurements such as dielectric and piezoelectric properties show that the KTNS(100a/100b/100c) ceramics near the BNT side have a relatively high electromechanical coupling factor, k33 (=0.47). On particular, the amount of modified Bi ions has an effect on k33. These ceramics seem to be a candidate for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics.