Structure, piezoelectric and multiferroic properties of Bi(Ni0.5Mn0.5)O3-modified BiFeO3-BaTiO3 ceramics

(0.725 - x)BiFeO3-0.275BaTiO(3)-xBi(Ni0.5Mn0.5)O-3 + 1 mol% MnO2 lead-free multiferroic ceramics have been fabricated by a conventional ceramic technique and the structure, multiferroic and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics have been investigated. All the ceramics sintered at 950 A degrees C for 2 h possess a pure perovskite structure. XRD patterns show that a coexistence of rhombohedral and pseudocubic phases are formed at x = 0.05-0.07. The average grain size decreases and the range of the grain size distribution greatly becomes narrow after the addition of Bi(Ni0.5Mn0.5)O-3. The dielectric peak becomes gradually diffusive with increasing x. A small amount of Bi(Ni0.5Mn0.5)O-3 doping (x a parts per thousand currency sign 0.02) maintain the ferroelectric (P (r) = 16.7-19.3 mu C/cm(2)), piezoelectric properties (d (33) = 124-145 pC/N) and ME coefficient performance (alpha (33) = 444.45-553.65 mV cm(-1) Oe(-1)).