High piezoelectric coefficient of Pr2O3-doped Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.90Zr0.10O3 ceramics

Pr2O3-doped Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.90Zr0.10O3 (BCTZ-xPr) ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state method. A tetragonal phase is only observed in these ceramics, and the introduction of Pr2O3 decreases their sintering temperature without affecting negatively the piezoelectric constant. Enhanced ferroelectric properties were obtained in these BCTZ-xPr ceramics. The ceramic with x=0.06 wt% exhibits a good electrical behavior of d(33)similar to 460 pC/N, k(p)similar to 47.6%, epsilon(r)similar to 4638, and tan delta similar to 0.015 when sintered at a low temperature of similar to 1400 degrees C. As a result, the BCTZ-xPr ceramic is a promising candidate for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.