Performance of K0.5 Na0.5 NbO3 (KNN)-based Lead-free Piezoelectric Materials in Active Vibration Control

Lead-free ceramics in the composition of K-0.5 Na-0.5 NbO3 (KNN) are reported to be promising for piezoelectric application. This family of material has comparable piezoelectric properties to that of existing lead-based ceramics. Present study deals with performance evaluation of KNN based materials for active vibration control. Finite element method is used to simulate the performance of these materials. Interestingly, K-0.5 Na-0.5 NbO3 -LiSbO3-CaTiO3 (KNN-LS-CT) demonstrated better vibration control behavior than that of conventional lead-based compounds. These materials are also reported to be temperature insensitive (-50 to 200 degrees C) for piezoelectric properties viewpoints.