Boosting the photostriction properties of (K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 -based ceramics modulated by introducing Ba(Ni 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3−δ

Photostrictive materials have been widely studied due to their extensive applications in the wireless remote control technology. Compared with other materials that have been studied, (K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 (KNN)-based ceramics have a more environment-friendly and stable application prospect. Hence, a series of (1 − x )(K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 – x Ba(Ni 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3−δ ( x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06) (KNN–BNNO) ceramics have been prepared via a solid-state reaction method to obtain excellent photostriction properties. The appropriate addition of Ba(Ni 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3−δ not only enhances the photostriction properties but also improves the dielectric properties. Besides, a considerable photostrictive coefficient (1.34 × 10 −9 m 2 W −1 ) and shorter response time of the maximum photo-induced strain (270 s) have been obtained for the 0.98(K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 –0.02Ba(Ni 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3−δ ceramics. A large blue shift appears as the illumination intensity increases from 0.7 W cm −2 to 70 W cm −2 in the Raman spectrum of the 0.98(K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 –0.02Ba(Ni 0.5 Nb 0.5 )O 3−δ ceramics, which indicates that a compressive strain is produced in a specific direction.