Structural origin of size effect on piezoelectric performance of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3

Grain size effect plays a vital role in piezoelectric performance from both scientific and technological view. However, the underlying structural mechanism related to grain size is still unclear. In the present study, the structural mechanism of grain size effect on piezoelectric performance has been revealed in the prototype Pb(Zr, Ti)O-3 system by using in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The miniaturization of grain size tends to favor the appearance of higher symmetric tetragonal phase, while a single monoclinic phase is determined in the coarse-grained ceramics. The direct structural evidence reveals that both tetragonal and monoclinic phases in the fine-grained ceramics are less sensitive to the electric field, corresponding to the inferior piezoelectric performance, while the single monoclinic phase in the coarse-grained ceramics is more active to be driven by the electric field, generating good piezoelectric behavior. Both domain switching ability and lattice strain are suppressed with decreasing grain size, which directly leads to the deterioration in piezoelectric performance. The current results will benefit the structural understanding of the size effect of piezoelectric and other related systems.

Automated summary

The grain size effect plays a crucial role in piezoelectric performance, with smaller grains favoring the appearance of higher symmetric tetragonal phase and larger grains characterized by a single monoclinic phase. Fine-grained ceramics show lower sensitivity to electric field in both tetragonal and monoclinic phases, leading to inferior piezoelectric performance, while coarse-grained ceramics exhibit better piezoelectric behavior as the single monoclinic phase is more active to be driven by the electric field.