Piezoelectric properties of Li–Ta co-doped potassium–sodium niobate ceramics prepared by spark plasma and conventional sintering

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2011-03, Vol.509 (9), p.3837-3842
• Main Authors: López-Juárez, Rigoberto, González-García, Federico, Zárate-Medina, Juan, Escalona-González, Ricardo, de la Torre, Sebastián Díaz, Villafuerte-Castrejón, María-Elena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alloys; Ceramics; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Deltas; Density; Dielectric properties of solids and liquids; Dielectric response; Dielectric, piezoelectric, ferroelectric and antiferroelectric materials; Dielectrics, piezoelectrics, and ferroelectrics and their properties; Exact sciences and technology; Niobates, titanates, tantalates, pzt ceramics, etc; Physics; Piezoelectricity; Piezoelectricity and electromechanical effects; Sintering; Spark plasma sintering
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2010.12.103

▶ Li-Ta co-doped piezoceramics were synthesized by spray drying. ▶ Conventional and Spark-Plasma Sintering were used to produce sintered samples. ▶ An iterative method was used for piezoelectric characterization. ▶ Improved properties were achieved when Spark-Plasma Sintering was applied. Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with (K0.48Na0.52)0.96Li0.04Nb0.85Ta0.15O3 composition were sintered by conventional pressureless (PLS) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques. A comparative analysis of the sintering effect on the piezoelectric and dielectric properties was conducted. The SPS treated specimen revealed an enhancement in the piezoelectric properties as compared to the PLS counterpart. The piezoelectric and dielectric parameters of PLS sintered sample were k′p=0.41, s′11E=11.80×10−12 m2/N, d′31=−55.7 (pC/N), ε′33T=464.5 and tanδ=0.010 at 10kHz, whereas these parameters for the SPS sintered sample were k′p=0.50, s′11E=12.20×10−12 m2/N, d′31=−66.17 (pC/N), ε′33T=557.4 and tanδ=0.024 at 10kHz. The piezoelectric properties enhancement of the SPS treated sample is attributed to, both the lower sintering temperature and the higher density achieved over the PLS sintered sample.