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Large strain with low hysteresis in Sn-modified Bi0.5(Na0.75K0.25)0.5TiO3 lead-free piezoceramics

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Abstract

For the sake of excellent strain performance for actuator application, Sn-modified Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–Bi0.5K0.5TiO3 (BNT–BKT) ceramics were designed and prepared by solid-state reaction method. The crystal structures and microstructures of Bi0.5(Na0.75K0.25)0.5(Ti1−xSnx)O3 (abbreviated as BNKT–xSn, x = 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08) were systematically investigated together with their strain performance. It is found that all the compositions possessed a single perovskite structure phase by X-ray diffraction patterns. With increasing Sn content, the ferroelectric phase with mainly tetragonal structure gradually transformed into the ergodic relaxor phase in pseudocubic structure with nanodomains further confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscope images. Both the P–E and I–E loops confirmed this structural change and the coexistence of ferroelectric phase and ergodic relaxor phase at x = 0.02, where a large strain of 0.37% was achieved with low hysteresis (21.8%). By analyzing the bipolar and unipolar strain curves and the origin of strain, we believe that the large strain is contributed to the phase transition from ferroelectric phase into ergodic relaxor phase, and the low hysteresis is beneficial from the existence of ergodic relaxor phase, which should pave a way for future developing high-performance actuators.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (51602147) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (16KJB430017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Materials–Orient Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 210009, People’s Republic of China

    Hao Xi, Lixiang Yu, Hao Qian, Fujun Chen, Minmin Mao, Yunfei Liu & Yinong Lyu

  2. Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing, People’s Republic of China

    Hao Xi, Lixiang Yu, Hao Qian, Fujun Chen, Minmin Mao, Yunfei Liu & Yinong Lyu

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  1. Hao Xi
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Correspondence to Minmin Mao, Yunfei Liu or Yinong Lyu.

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Xi, H., Yu, L., Qian, H. et al. Large strain with low hysteresis in Sn-modified Bi0.5(Na0.75K0.25)0.5TiO3 lead-free piezoceramics. J Mater Sci 55, 1388–1398 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-019-04154-8

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