Buffered template strategy for improving texture quality and piezoelectric properties of heterogeneous templated grain growth (K,Na)NbO3-based ceramics through interface engineering

Notwithstanding the advances in improving piezoelectric properties through templated grain growth, insights into the mechanical stress and microstructure of such materials are necessary. This is because the properties can be significantly varied depending on these parameters. Constructing heterostructure templates (2D-0D), in which the 0D nanoparticles have compositions similar to that of matrix powders, has significant potential in improving the above aspects. Here, BaTiO3 (BT) templates and elements-doped (K,Na)NbO3 (KNN) matrix powders were selected. Heterostructure BT (h-BT) templates were prepared by nucleation and growth of dopant-free KNN nanoparticles on bare BT. h-BT enabled a reduction in the mechanical stress at the interfaces within textured ceramics (h-BT-KNN), leading to larger grain growth and a higher texturing degree than those of textured ce-ramics (BT-KNN) fabricated using bare BT. The h-BT-KNN exhibited the enhanced piezoelectric constant (d33) by-170% and-600% compared to those of the BT-KNN and nontextured ceramics, respectively.