Effect of Zr4+ substitution on thermal stability and electrical properties of high temperature BiFe0.99Al0.01O3-BaTi1-xZrxO3 ceramics

High-temperature Pb-free ceramics of 0.72BiFe(0.99)Al(0.01)O(3)-0.28BaTi(1-x)Zr(x)O(3) (BFA-BZ(x)T) have been prepared through solid state reaction route. The influence of the Zr4+ substitution for Ti4+ on microstructure, thermal stability and electrical properties of the BFA-BZ(x)T ceramics was investigated. The results showed single-phase solid solutions occurred for compositions x = 0-0.12 and a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) separating rhombohedral and pseudocubic phases existed near x = 0.03. The substitution of Zr4+ for Ti4+ caused significant change of grain size for BFA-BZ(x)T ceramics. The optimum piezoelectric properties of d(33) = 157 pC/N, k(p) = 0.33, combined with improved depoling temperature T-d = 425 degrees C, are obtained around the MPB composition of x = 0.03. The results indicate that BFA-BZ(x)T ceramics have a great potential to apply in high temperature field. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.