Low temperature synthesis and enhanced electrical properties of PZN–PNN–PZT piezoelectric ceramics with the addition of Li2CO3

The influence of Li + doping on the structure and electrical properties of 10 mol% Sr 2+ -substituted 0.1Pb(Zn 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 –0.1Pb(Ni 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 –0.8Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 )O 3 (abbreviated as PZN–PNN–PZT) piezoelectric ceramics was studied. The Li + -doped PZN–PNN–PZT ceramics were successfully synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method at a low sintering temperature of 1100 °C, in contrast to 1300 °C required for their undoped counterpart. It is revealed that a phase transition occurs from rhombohedral to tetragonal with the addition of Li 2 CO 3 . All the as-prepared PZN–PNN–PZT ceramics present a uniform grain size distribution, while only the one with 0.1 wt% Li 2 CO 3 added shows a high relative density of 98.4%. As a result, optimum comprehensive electrical properties are achieved in the 0.1 wt% Li 2 CO 3 -modified PZN–PNN–PZT ceramic: d 33 ~ 950 pC/N, k p ~ 0.69, ε r ~ 4700, P r ~ 33.5 µC/cm 2 , thus making it a promising candidate for high performance piezoelectric applications.