Processing and electromechanical properties of high‐coercive field ZnO‐doped PIN‐PZN‐PT ceramics

This study explores sintering and piezoelectricity of ZnO‐doped perovskite Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3‐Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3‐PbTiO3 (PIN‐PZN‐PT) ceramics. The enhanced densification of ZnO‐doped PIN‐PZN‐PT is attributed to the formation of oxygen vacancies by the incorporation of Zn2+ into the perovskite B‐site and increased rate of bulk diffusion relative to undoped PIN‐PZN‐PT. Incorporation of Zn2+ into the perovskite lattice increased the tetragonal character of PIN‐PZN‐PT as demonstrated by tetragonal peak splitting and increased Curie temperature. Sintering in flowing oxygen reduced the solubility of Zn2+ in the perovskite lattice and resulted in rhombohedral PIN‐PZN‐PT. Sintering in oxygen prevented secondary phase formation which resulted in a high‐piezoelectric coefficient (d33 – 550 pC/N), high‐coercive field (Ec – 13 kV/cm), and high‐rhombohedral to tetragonal phase transition temperature (Tr‐t – 165°C). We conclude that ZnO‐doped PIN‐PZN‐PT ceramics are excellent candidates for high‐power transducer applications.