Fabrication and properties of Pb(Zr, Ti)O3-based ceramics for photostrictors

Samples of Pb(Zr x , Ti 1−x )O 3 -based ceramics (x=0·48-0·6) doped with 1 mol% of Ta 5+ were prepared by a conventional oxide-mixing method to investigate photovoltaic responses such as photovoltaic current and photovoltage as well as ferro- and piezoelectric properties such as polarization and strain constant. Results confirmed that the maximum photovoltaic power was obtained from the sample with x=0·54, whereas the strain constant became maximum in the sample with x=0·52. The remanent polarization peaked in the sample with x=0·54. Thus, it was determined that photovoltaic properties exhibit a stronger correlation with the remanent polarization than the piezoelectric properties, and it is expected that highly efficient photostrictors can be fabricated by hybridizing the materials of the two different compositions.