Dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 ceramics at morphotropic phase boundary composition

(1 − x)Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃-x(Ba_0.7Ca_0.3)TiO₃ (BNT-xBCT, 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) solid solutions have been synthesized by a conventional solid state sintering method for obtaining a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) with good piezoelectric properties. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that a MPB of rhombohedral and tetragonal phases is formed at compositions 0.09 ≤ x ≤ 0.12. Addition of BCT into BNT greatly lowered coercive field E_c without degrading remanent polarization P_r. The specimen with x = 0.09 has the good piezoelectric properties: d₃₃ = 125 pC/N and k_p = 0.33. A modified Curie-Weiss law was used to fit the dielectric constant of BNT-xBCT ceramics, and a frequency dispersion was observed during the phase transitions from antiferroelectric to paraelectric in specimens with x exceeding 0.06.