Piezoelectricity and Thermophysical Properties of Ba 0.90 Ca 0.10 Ti 0.96 Zr 0.04 O 3 Ceramics Modified with Amphoteric Nd 3+ and Y 3+ Dopants

Lead-free barium calcium titanate zirconate (BCTZ) ceramics doped with a single rare-earth element generally exhibit excellent piezoelectric properties. However, their electrical properties deteriorate at an excessive dopant content, limiting their application. In this study, amphoteric neodymium (Nd ) and yttrium (Y )-codoped BCTZ-NY ceramics were synthesized via a solid-state reaction at 1240 °C. The influences of the Y content ( ) on the structural features, electrical properties, mechanical properties, and thermophysical properties were investigated. At a small (