Insights into Antisite Defect Complex Induced High Ferro-Piezoelectric Properties in KNbO₃ Perovskite:...

Improving ferro-piezoelectric properties of niobate-based perovskites is highly desirable for developing eco-friendly high-performance sensors and actuators. Although electro-strain coupling is usually obtained by constructing multiphase boundaries via complex chemical compositions, defect engineering can also create opportunities for novel property and functionality advancements. In this work, a representative tetragonal niobate-based perovskite, i.e., KNbO₃, is studied by using first-principles calculations. Two intrinsic types of Nb antisite defect complexes are selected to mimic alkali-deficiency induced excess Nb antisites in experiments. The formation energy, electronic profiles, polarization, and piezoelectric constants are systematically analyzed. It is shown that the structural distortion and chemical heterogeneity around the energetically favorable antisite pair defects, i.e., (NbK4·+KNb4'), lower the crystal symmetry of KNbO₃ from tetragonal to triclinic phase, and facilitate polarization emergence and reorientation to substantially enhance intrinsic ferro-piezoelectricity (i.e., spontaneous polarization P_s of 68.2 μC/cm² and piezoelectric strain constant d₃₃ of 228.3 pC/N) without complicated doping and alloying.