Low-Temperature Sintering and Piezoelectric Properties of CuO-Added KNbO3 Ceramics

Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of CuO‐added KNbO3 (KN) ceramics were investigated. The CuO reacted with the Nb2O5, formed a CuO–Nb2O5‐related liquid phase during the sintering, and assisted the densification of the KN ceramics at low temperatures. Moreover, some of the Cu2+ ions replaced the Nb5+ ions in the matrix and behaved as a hardener. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the KN ceramics were considerably influenced by the relative density. The 1.0 mol% CuO‐added KN ceramic sintered at 960°C for 1.0 h, which showed a maximum relative density, exhibited a high phase angle of 86.9°, Pr of 14.8 μC/cm2, and Ec of 1.8 kV/mm. This specimen also exhibited good dielectric and piezoelectric properties: εT33/εo of 364, d33 of 122 pC/N, kp of 0.29, and Qm of 611.