Crystal structure and piezoelectric properties of xPb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3–(0.2−x)Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.8Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 ceramics

Pb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3-Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PMnN-PZN-PZT) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared and the effects of PMnN content on the crystal structure and electrical properties were investigated. The results showed that the pure perovskite phase formed in these ceramics. The crystal structure changed from tetragonal to rhombohedral and the lattice constant decreased with increasing PMnN content. The morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) of xPMnN-(0.2-x)PZN-0.8PZT ceramics occurred where the content of PMnN, x, lies between 0.05 and 0.085 mol. The dielectric constant (epsilon), piezoelectric constant (d33) and Curie temperature (Tc) decreased, while the mechanical quality factor (Qm) increased with increasing PMnN content. The ceramic with composition 0.075PMnN-0.125PZN-0.8PZT has the optimal piezoelectric properties, epsilon 842, d33 215 pC/N, Tc 320 C, kp 0.57 and Qm 1020, which makes it a promising material for high power piezoelectric devices.