Structural and piezoelectric properties of <001> textured PZT-PZNN piezoelectric ceramics

Rhombohedral 0.69Pb(Zr0.47Ti0.53)-0.31Pb(Zn0.6Ni0.4)NbO3 (PZT-PZNN) ceramics were textured using 10.0 vol. % BaTiO3 (BT) platelets along the <001> direction at 950 degrees C with a high Lotgering factor of 95.3%. BT platelets did not react with the PZT-PZNN ceramics, and the textured PZT-PZNN ceramic had a tetragonal structure. The PZT-PZNN ceramics exhibited a strain of 0.174% with a piezoelectric strain constant (d*(33)) of 580pC/N at 3.0kV/mm. The textured PZT-PZNN ceramic showed an increased strain of 0.276% and d*(33) of 920pC/N at 3.0kV/mm, which can be explained by the domain rotation. However, the d(33) values of the textured specimens are smaller than those of the untextured specimens because of the small remanent polarization and relative dielectric constant of BT platelets. The textured PZT-PZNN ceramic synthesized in this work can be used for piezoelectric multilayer actuators because of its large strain and low sintering temperature.