Identification of Phase Boundaries and Electrical Properties in Ternary Potassium-Sodium Niobate-Based Ceramics

A large piezoelectric constant (d33) of ∼480 pC/N was attained in new ternary (1-x-y)K0.5Na0.5Nb0.96Sb0.04O3-xBaSnO3-yBi0.5Na0.5ZrO3 ceramics by forming rhombohedral-orthorhombic-tetragonal (R-O-T) phase boundary using the variations of x and y, and such a phase boundary was successfully confirmed by the convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) patterns. For (1-x)K0.5Na0.5Nb0.96Sb0.04O3-xBaSnO3, the orthorhombic (O) phase is well-maintained for 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.015, and both the R and T phases can be introduced to (0.99-y)K0.5Na0.5Nb0.96Sb0.04O3-0.01BaSnO3-yBi0.5Na0.5ZrO3 with y = 0.025-0.04 by simultaneously tailoring their compositions (x and y); then, R-O-T multiphases can be well-established. The CBED patterns strongly support the existence of R-O-T multiphases in the ceramics with y = 0.035. When the phase transitions endure from O to R-O-T, their piezoelectric activity endures a leapfrog development from ∼165 to ∼480 pC/N. In the region of the R-O-T phase boundary, a large d33 of ∼480 pC/N was attained in the ceramics with x = 0.01 and y = 0.035. In addition, the ceramics with x = 0.01 and y = 0.04 possess a high strain of ∼0.274% due to the multiphases coexistence. According to the variations of dielectric and ferroelectric properties, the enhancement in εr and Pr plays a part in the improved d33 except for the R-O-T phase boundary. We believe that the (K, Na)NbO3 ternary systems can be used to promote piezoelectric activity by forming new phase boundaries.