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Low temperature consolidated lead-free ferroelectric niobate ceramics with improved electrical properties

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Abstract

There is a concerted effort to develop lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3-based ceramics have good electrical properties, and are a potential replacement material for lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics. In this work a commercial powder based on (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3 with an initial particle size of ~260 nm was consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). To avoid volatilization, high mechanical pressures were used to minimize the densification temperature. It was found that under a uniaxial pressure of 100 MPa, fully densified compacts can be prepared at 850 °C. Ceramics densified at such a low temperature demonstrate an unusually high remanent polarization (30 µC/cm2) and high d33 (146 pC/N). The improved ferroelectric properties are ascribed to the homogeneous, dense, and submicron grained microstructure achieved.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, SE-10691, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mirva Eriksson, Mats Nygren & Zhijian Shen

  2. School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK

    Haixue Yan & Mike J. Reece

  3. Nanoforce Technology Ltd., London, E1 4NS, UK

    Haixue Yan & Mike J. Reece

Authors
  1. Mirva Eriksson
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  2. Haixue Yan
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  3. Mats Nygren
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  4. Mike J. Reece
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  5. Zhijian Shen
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Correspondence to Zhijian Shen.

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Eriksson, M., Yan, H., Nygren, M. et al. Low temperature consolidated lead-free ferroelectric niobate ceramics with improved electrical properties. Journal of Materials Research 25, 240–247 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2010.0034

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