Defect Engineering in Lead Zirconate Titanate Ferroelectric Ceramic for Enhanced Electromechanical Transducer Efficiency

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT)‐based piezoelectric ceramics are important functional materials for various electromechanical applications, including sensors, actuators, and transducers. High piezoelectric coefficient and mechanical quality factor are essential for the resonant piezoelectric application. However, since these properties are often inversely proportional, simultaneously high performances are hard to achieve, consequently, a wide range of applications are strongly restricted. In the present study, exceptionally well‐balanced performances are achieved in PZT‐based ceramics via innovative defect engineering, which involves multi‐scale coordination among defect dipole, domain‐wall density, and grain boundary. These materials are superior to many state‐of‐the‐art commercial counterparts, which can potentially satisfy high‐end requirements for advanced electromechanical applications, such as energy harvesting, structural health monitoring, robotic sensors, and actuator. Exceptionally well‐balanced piezoelectric performances are achieved in (Pb0.92Sr0.08)(Zr0.533Ti0.443Nb0.024)O3‐xwt%Mn (abbreviated as PSZTN‐Mn) ferroelectric ceramics (d33 = 510–460 pC N−1, Qm = 614–750), which is superior to many state‐of‐the‐art commercial piezoelectric ceramics. The high performance is proposed to originate from multi‐sale coordination among defect dipoles, domain wall, and grain boundary.