Synthesis and Piezoelectric Properties of Lead-free （ Bi0.5 Na0.5 ）1-x（BaaSrb）xTiO3 Ceramics

A new group of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics,（Bi0.5 Na0.5）1-x（BaaSrb）xTiO3（abbreviated as BNBST[100x-100a/100b],0〈x〈1,a＋b=1）,was synthesized.The ceramics were prepared by conventional ceramic sintering technique,and the ceramics with density of 95% of the theoretical one can be sintered without the atmosphere control during the sintering process.The results of the X-ray diffraction（XRD） data show that the ceramics possess a single perovskite phase.The measurements of dielectric and piezoelectric properties reveal that the ceramics provide relatively high piezoelectric charge constant d33 and high planar electromechanical coupling factor kp.For the BNBST6-95/5 ceramics,d33 is equal to 170pC/N,and kp is equal to 32.0%.The fabrication technique for these ceramics is conventional and stable.     

Effect of Li content on the microstructure and properties of lead-free piezoelectric （K0.5Na0.5）1-xLixNbO3 ceramics prepared by SPS

Lead-free piezoelectric （K0.5sNa0.5）1-xLixNbO3 （x = 0at%-20at%） ceramics were synthesized by spark plasma sintering （SPS） at low temperature and the effects of LiNbO3 addition on its crystal structure and properties were also studied. When the Li content was less than 6at%, a single proveskite phase with the similar structure of （K0.5Na0.5）NbO3 was formed; and a secondary phase with K3Li2Nb5O15 structure was observed in the 6at% 〈 x 〈 20at% compositional range. Furthermore, LiNbO3 existed as the third phase when the Li content was higher than 8at%. The grain sizes increased from 200-500 nm to 5-8 μm when the K3Li2Nb5O15 and LiNbO3 like phases were formed. With increasing Li content, the relative density of the ceramics first decreased from 97% to 93% and then kept constant. The piezoelectric coefficient d33, dielectric constant, and planner electromechanical coupling factor exhibited a decreasing tendency with increasing Li content because of the decrease in density and the formation of the secondary phase such as K3Li2Nb5O15 and LiNbO3. The formation of dense microstructure with a single phase is necessary in improving the properties of the （K0.5Na0.5）1-xLixNbO3 ceramics.     

Structure and Electrical Properties of （Na0.5Bi0.5）0.94Ba0.06TiO3 Ceramicwith0.5wt% of MnO

The structure and electrical properties of （Na0.5Bi0.5）0.94Ba0.06TiO3 ceramic doped with 0.5 wt% of MnO were investigated in comparison with those of （Na0.5Bi0.5）0.94Ba0.06TiO3 ceramic. It was ascertained that the MnO addition did not cause remarkable change in crystal structure and microstructure. The MnO addition mainly displayed a hard effect on the electrical properties, an increase of coercive field （E） and mechanical quality factor （Qm） together with a decrease of dielectric constant （εr） and piezoelectric constant （d33）. An enhancement of electromechanical coupling factor （kp） with the MnO addition was obtained too. An essential relation between the piezoelectric properties and ferroelectric nature of the ceramics was detected. It was found that the piezoelectric properties of the ceramics highly depended on the corporative contribution of remanent polarization （Pt） and coercive field.     

Effects of Dopants on Properties of PZN-PSN-PMN-PZT Ceramics

In order to obtain high Qm ceramics,different additives including MnO2,Fe2O3 and K2CO3 were added into the base PZT composition of xPb（Zn0.2Sn0.3Mn0.5）1/3 Nb2/3 O3-（1-x）Pb（Zr0.3Ti0.5）O3.The mechanical quality factor Qm increased while the piezoelectric constant decreased to some degree as MnO2 was added alone,Although apparent decreasing was observed in piezoelectric constanl d33 after MnO2 and Fe2O3 were added simultaneously,the mechanical quality factor Qm was kept at the same level as before,The values of d33 and Qm decreased dramatically as K2CO3 was added in combination with MnO2 and Fe2O3.The structure of grain boundary was damaged and more defects were generated by low valence K adding in this multi-impurified PZT solid.Mn doped sample presented a wide range of sintering temperatare,The properties parameters of Mn doped PZT are listed as follows;piezoelectric constant d33-256pC/N,mechanical quality factor Qm=2079,coupling coefficient Kp=0.53,Coercive field Ec=22.5kV/cm,Cure Temperature Tc=286℃.These parameters shonc that Mn-doped PZT ceramics are suitable for application in high Qm and transmitting materials.     

Dielectric and Piezoelectric Properties of 0-3 PZT/PVDF Composite Doped with Polyaniline

Lead zirconate titanate （ PZT ） / polyvinylidene fluoride （PVDF） 0-3 piezoelectric composites doped with polyaniline （PANI） were obtained by hot-press method. The polarization properties of the composites were characterized by XRD and P- E hysteresis loops at room temperature. And the dielectric and piezoelectric properties were also measured. The results show that the poling of PZT could be effectively carried oat and the dielectric constant e, and dissipation tanδ increase monatonously by increasing the volume fraction of PANI in the composite. The piezoelectric constant d33, and the planar electromechanical coupling factor kp increase while the mechanical quality factor Qm decreases with the increase in the content of PANI. The d33, kp and Qm show the extremum values at 8 vol%-10 vol% PANI.     

Effects of Sr2＋ substitution on the structural,dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of PZT-PMN ceramics

This study described the structural, dielectric, and piezoelectric behavior of Pb1-xSrx[（Zr0.52Ti0.48）0.95（Mn1/3Nb2/3）0.05]O3 ceramics （PSZT-PMN, x=0, 0.025, 0.050, and 0.075）, prepared by a semi-wet route. X-ray diffraction, dielectric, and piezoelectric investigations were carried out to analyze the crystal structure. The relative dielectric constant and dielectric loss were both calculated as the functions of temperature. The room-temperature dielectric constant reaches a maximum for a Sr2＋-modified PZT-PMN ceramic with an x value of 0.050, which corresponds to the morphotropic phase boundary （MPB）. Raman spectroscopy studies also confirm the existence of this MPB for x=0.050. The piezoelectric strain coefficients （d33） value shows a maximum response for this composition. In addition, the phase transition temperature decreases significantly when the Sr2＋concentration increases in the PZT-PMN ceramics.     

Composition dependence of phase structure and electrical properties of (1−y)Bi1−xNdxFeO3−yBiScO3 ceramics

In this work, we have studied a new lead-free ceramic of(1-y)Bi_(1-x)Nd_xFeO_(3-y)BiScO_3(0.05≤x≤0.15 and 0.05≤y≤0.15) prepared by a conventional solid-state method, and the influences of Nd and Sc content on their phase structure and electrical properties were investigated in detail. The ceramics with 0.05≤x≤0.10 and 0.05≤y≤0.15 belong to an R3 c phase, and the rhombohedral-like and orthorhombic multiphase coexistence is established in the composition range of 0.125≤x≤0.15 and y=0. The electrical properties of the ceramics can be enhanced by modifying x and y values. The highest piezoelectric coefficient(d33~51 p C/N) is obtained in the ceramics with x=0.075 and y=0.125, which is superior to that of a pure BiFeO_3 ceramic. In addition, a lowest dielectric loss(tan δ~0.095%, f=100 k Hz) is shown in the ceramics with x=0.15 and y=0 due to the involvement of low defect concentrations, and the improved thermal stability of piezoelectricity at 20–600oC is possessed in the ceramics. We believe that the ceramics can play a meaningful role in the high-temperature lead-free piezoelectric applications.     

Effects of Sintering Technology on PMZN Piezoceramics Properties

Pb (Mn1/3Sb2/3) x(Zn1/3Nb2/3)y (Zr0.535Ti0.465)1-x-yO3(PMZN) piezoelectric ceramics were fabricated .The effects of sintering temperature and heat-treatment time on properties were discussed, the opti-mum preparation technology parameters were obtained. In this case, the ceramics have the highest electromechanical coupling coefficients and mechanical quality factor and the least dielectric loss. It is revealed that the PMZN piezo-ceramics material can be utilized for high-power ultrasound transducers.     

Enhanced piezoelectric properties of Nd^3＋ doped nano-lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric ceramics

Nd^3＋ doped lead zirconate titanate （Pb1-3x/2NdxZr0.52Ti0.48O3, PNZT） nanopowders were prepared through a modified sol-gel method. The effects of Nd^3＋ doping on the microstructures and properties of PNZT ceramics have been studies. The grain sizes of the perovskite PNZT nanopowders were about 100nm and the lattice distortion of the PNZT increased with the content of Nd^3＋ up to 9 mol%. The dopant of Nd^3＋ resulted in the decrease of crystal lattice parameter a and the obvious increase of c and c/a, which effectively improved the sintered densification and activity of the PNZT ceramics. Due to lead vacancies caused by the doping of Nd3^＋ in the PZT, the piezoelectric constant, electromechanical coupling coefficient and dielectric constant observed were much higher than the monolithic PZT.     

Structure and Dielectric Properties of ZnO and Nb2O5 Doped BaO-TiO2 System Microwave Ceramics

The microwave dielectric properties and microstructure of BaTi4.3ZnyO9.6 y 0.02 mol% SnO2 0.01 mol% MnCO3 x mol% Nb2O5(x=0-0.05, y=0-0.08) system ceramics were studied as a function of the amount of ZnO and Nb2O5 doped. Addition of (y=0-0.05) ZnO and (x=0-0.025) Nb2O5 enhanced the reactivity and decreased the sintering temperature effectively. It also increased the dielectric constant εr and quality factor Q(=1/tan δ) of the system due to the substitution of Ti4 ions with incorporating Zn2 and Nb5 ions, which was analyzed by the reaction ZnO Nb2O5 3 TiTiX→ZnTi 2NbTi 3TiO2. When the system doped with (y=0.05) ZnO and (x=0.025) Nb2O5 were sintered at 1 160 ℃ for 6 h, the εr, Qfo value and τf were 36.5, 42 000 GHz, and 1.8 ppm/℃, respectively, at 5 GHz.     

Effect of doped Mn on piezoelectric properties of (Na_(0.5)Bi_(0.5))_ (0.92)Ba_(0.08)TiO_3 lead-free ceramics

1INTRODUCTION Therehasbeengreatinterestinthestudiesof thelead freematerialswithdielectric,piezoelectricandferroelectricpropertiesinthefieldoffunction almaterialsfortheiramiabilitytoenvironment. (Na1/2)TiO3(NBT)ceramicshavebeenwidelystudiedbecauseoftheirrelativelylargeremnant polarization(Pr)of38μC/cm2andcoercivefieldof 73kV/cm[1].However,NBTcannotreplacelead zirconatetitanate(PZT)basedceramicsbecausethepiezoelectricpropertiesofNBTarestillnot comparabletothoseofPZT[24].Recently,m…     

Magnetostrictive distortion in Pr0.15Tbx Dy0.85-xFe2 polycrystals by X-ray diffraction

The ingots of Pr0.15 Tbx Dy0.85-x Fe2 (x=0.10-0.85) series compounds with a single phase were prepared by a arc melting method. The X-ray diffraction patterns were measured using a Philips X‘pert MPD X-ray diffractometer with a non-ambient sample stage at different temperatures, the magnetostfictive distortion in Pr0.15 Tbx Dy0.85-x Fe2 polycrystals was investigated by X-ray diffraction patterns and the magnetostfiction coefficient λ111 was calculated. The results show when the temperature is raised above the spin reorientation temperature region, a splitting appears in the reflection (440); the λ111 increase with the increasing of Tb content for Pr0.15 Tbx Dy0.85-x Fe2 polycrystals and thefull width at half maximum (FWHM) of the reflection (440) increases gradually with the increasing of Tb content.Moreover, as the FWHM of the reflection (440) decreases gradually with the increasing of temperature, the λ111 decreases slightly with the increasing of temperature at the temperature region of 223 -373 K for Pr0.15 Tb0.3 Dy0.55 Fe2 alloy.     

Influence of Tb substitution on low-field magnetocaloric effect in Gd5Si1.72Ge2.28 alloy

The lattice parameters, magnetic phase transition, Curie temperature and magnetocaloric properties for (Gd_1−x Tb _x )₅Si_1.72-Ge_2.28 alloys with x = 0, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25 were investigated by X-ray powder diffractometry and magnetization measurements. The results show that suitable partial substitution of Tb in Gd₅Si_1.72Ge_2.28 compound remains the first-order magnetic-crystallographic transition and enhances the magnetic entropy change, although Tb substitution decreases the Curie temperature (T _C) of the compounds. The magnetic entropy change of (Gd_1−x Tb _x )₅Si_1.72Ge_2.28 alloys retains a large value in the low magnetic field of 1.0 T. The maximum magnetic entropy change for (Gd_0.80Tb_0.20)₅Si_1.72Ge_2.28 alloy in the magnetic field from 0 to 1.0 T reaches 8.7 J/(kg·K), which is nearly 4 times as large as that of (Gd_0.3Dy_0.7)₅Si₄ compound (|ΔS _max| = 2.24 J/(kg·K), T _C = 198 K). Foundation item: Project (50371058) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Electrolysis expansion performance of semigraphitic cathode in [K3AlF6/Na3AlF6]-AlF3-Al2O3 bath system

The electrolysis expansion of semigraphitic cathode in [K₃AlF₆/Na₃AlF₆]-AlF₃-Al₂O₃ bath system was tested by self-made modified Rapoport apparatus. A mathematical model was introduced to discuss the effects of α _CR (cryolite ratio) and β _KR (elpasolite content divided by the total amount of elpasolite and sodium cryolite) on performance of cathode electrolysis expansion. The results show that K and Na (potassium and sodium) penetrate into the cathode together and have an obvious influence on the performance of cathode electrolysis expansion. The electrolysis expansion and K/Na penetration rate increase with the increase of α _CR. When α _CR=1.9 and β _KR=0.5, the electrolysis expansion is the highest, which is 3.95%; and when α _CR=1.4 and β _KR=0.1, the electrolysis expansion is the lowest, which is 1.28%. But the effect of β _KR is correlative with α _CR. When α _CR=1.6 and 1.9, with the increase of β _KR, the electrolysis expansion and K/Na penetration rate increase. However, when α _CR=1.4, the electrolysis expansion and K/Na penetration rate firstly increase and then decrease with the increase of β _KR. Foundation item: Project (2005CB623703) supported by the Major State Basic Research and Development Program of China; Project (2008AA030502) supported by the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China     

Microscopic phase-field simulation of Cr atom substitution character during formation of Ll2 and DO22 phases in Ni-Cr-Al alloy

The simulations of Cr atom substitution character during the formation of L12 and DO22 phases in Ni-Cr-Al alloy were performed at 873 K based on microscopic phase-field model. It is found that the substitution of Cr is affected by Cr and Al contents and limits of occupation probabilities of Cr atom in L12 phase are present. The precipitate is single L12 phase when the component is less than the limit, Cr atoms substitute the Al sublattices in Ll2 phase, and both of atoms Al and Cr occupy the β-sites and complex phases Ni3（Al1-xCrx） are formed; Cr atoms enter Ni sites when Al and Cr contents exceed the limit, and substitute β-sites or both of α- and β-sites. The DO22 phase is formed at the boundary of Ll2 phase.     

First-principle investigation on stability of Co-doped spinel λ-Mn4-xCoxO8

The mechanism of stability of Co-doped spinel λ-MnO2 that is referred to as spinel LixMn2O4 （x=0） was studied by using the first-principle calculation method. The total energy and formation enthalpy can be decreased remarkably due to the Co substation, resulting in a more stable structure ofλ-MnxCr2-xO4. The bond order and DOS analysis were given in detail to explain the nature of stability improvement. The calculated results show that as the content of Co dopant increases, the bond order of Mn-O becomes larger and the peak of density of states around Fermi level shifts toward lower energy. The charge density distribution illustrates that the Mn-O bonding is ionic and partially covalent, and the covalent Mn-O bonding becomes stronger with the increase of Co dopant content. The results confirm that the Co-doping will enhance the stability of λ-MnO2 and hence improve the electrochemistry performance of LixMn2O4.