Texture performance of lead-free Bi_1/2Na_1/2TiO₃–BaZrO₃ ceramics

The effect of Bi_1/2Na_1/2TiO₃ (BNT) template on texture development of 0.94Bi_1/2Na_1/2TiO₃-0.06BaZrO₃ (BNT-BZ) ceramics was investigated. Employing plate-like BNT templates, textured BNT–BZ ceramics were developed through conventional solid-state reaction (CSSR) and reactive-templated grain growth following a tape-casting process. Structural results show that all compositions crystallized into simple perovskite phase. Introduction of BNT templates into BNT-BZ ceramics stabilized the ferroelectric state and enhance dielectric constant, field-induced strain, and piezoelectric coefficient. Enhancement in electromechanical properties of the textured ceramics were more pronounced in comparison with conventionally processed BNT-BZ ceramics and their composite counterparts. Direct comparison of the BNT-BZ ceramics developed by CSSR with their textured counterparts showed that the dielectric constant (ε) of textured samples increased 32%, piezoelectric constant (d₃₃) 70% and field-induced strain (S_max) increased 141%. The results obtained from the structure and electromechanical properties confirm that texture engineering play an important role in improving the piezoelectric properties of ceramics.