Structure and Ferroelectric Properties of Bi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O3-(Bi1/2K1/2)TiO3 Perovskite Solid Solutions

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics based on xBi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O-3-(1-x)(Bi1/2K1/2)TiO3 were obtained via solid state processing techniques. A single perovskite phase With tetragonal symmetry was obtained for Bi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O-3 (BZT) substitutions up to 20 mol%. The maximum density was 97.1% at the composition of x = 0.1. The dielectric measurement indicated that the transition temperature decreased linearly with increasing BZT content. The P-E loops revealed an increase in remanent polarization (P-r) with the addition of BZT. The maximum planar coupling coefficient, k(p), for the x = 0.1 composition was 21.6 and the piezoelectric coefficient, d(33), for x = 0, x = 0.05, and x = 0.1 was 108, 185, and 235 pm/V, respectively. Overall, the dielectric and piezoelectric properties showed significant improvement when BZT was added.