Enhanced piezoelectric property and microstructure of large CaZrO3-doped Na0.5K0.5NbO3-based single crystal with 20 mm over

CaZrO3(CZ)-doped Na0.5K0.5NbO3(NKN)-based single crystals with 20 mm over were prepared by a seed free solid-state crystal growth (SFSSCG) method. The microstructure, piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the crystal were investigated. The results show that the piezoelectric constant d(33) of this crystal is evidently enhanced up to 488 pC/N with the addition of CZ. Two dielectric anomalies appear at 391 and 149 degrees C, corresponding to the tetragonal -> cubic and orthorhombic -> tetragonal phase transition, respectively. There exists two domains (90 degrees and 180 degrees) in the crystal. These results show that this NKN-based crystal is a promising lead-free piezoelectric material for applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.