Piezoelectric Ceramics Of The (1-X)Bi0.50na0.50tio3-Xba0.90ca0.10tio3 Lead-Free Solid Solution: Chemical Shift Of The Morphotropic Phase Boundary, A Case Study For X=0.06

Research and development of lead-free piezoelectric materials are still the hottest topics in the field of piezoelectricity. One of the most promising lead-free family of compounds to replace lead zirconate-titanate for actuators is that of Bi0.50Na0.50TiO3 (BNT) based solid solutions. The pseudo-binary (1 - x)Bi0.50Na0.50TiO3-xBa1 - yCayTiO3 system has been proposed for high temperature capacitors and not yet fully explored as piezoelectric material. In this work, the solid solution with x = 0.06 and y = 0.10 was obtained by two different synthesis routes: solid state and Pechini, aiming at using reduced temperatures, both in synthesis (<800 degrees C) and sintering (<1150 degrees C), while maintaining appropriated piezoelectric performance. Crystal structure, ceramic grain size, and morphology depend on the synthesis route and were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, together with scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The effects of processing and ceramic microstructure on the structural, dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties were discussed in terms of a shift of the Morphotropic Phase Boundary, chemically induced by the synthesis route.