Enhanced Piezoelectric Properties and Tunability of Lead-Free Ceramics Prepared by High-Energy Ball Milling

Zirconium-doped barium titanate Ba(Zr_0.15Ti_0.85)O₃ lead-free ceramics (hereinafter referred to as BZT) were synthesized using the solid-state reaction method by adopting the high-energy ball milling technique. Nanosized BZT powders resulted from high-energy ball milling, which in turn enhanced the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics. A single-phase perovskite structure free from secondary phase peaks was observed for sintered BZT samples, and a relative density of ～94% of the theoretical density was achieved. The electric-field-induced polarization-current data indicate the ferroelectric nature of the samples. Unipolar strain as high as 0.12% was realized for the ceramics sintered at 1350°C, indicating their potential for use in actuator applications. Very high tunability of >70% for these ceramics is also reported.