Effect of MWCNTs on piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of KNN composites

The aim of the research work was to investigate the effect of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) reinforcement (0.3-1.2wt.%) on functional properties of microwave sintered Potassium sodium niobate (KNN) composites. Sintered composites are characterized for crystal structure, morphology and temperature stability of piezo-electric, ferroelectric and dielectric properties. KNN composites showed perovskite phase with improved tetragonal symmetry, fine grained porous microstructure, reduced dielectric loss and enhanced effective permittivity. The optimum functional properties and thermal stability obtained for KNN-MWCNT (0.9 wt.%) composites over the range of 20-100 degrees C, makes the idea of using the addition of MWCNTs to KNN ceramics an interesting approach in searching new structures for temperature stability.