Crystal structure and piezoelectric properties of xPb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3–(0.2 − x)Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.8Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 ceramics

Pb(Mn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (designated as PMnN–PZN–PZT) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared and the effects of PMnN content on the crystal structure and electrical properties were investigated. The results show that the pure perovskite phase forms in these ceramics. The crystal structure changes from tetragonal to rhombohedral and the lattice constant decreases with increase of PMnN content. The morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) of xPMnN–(0.2 − x)PZN–0.8PZT ceramics occurs where the content of PMnN, x, lies between 0.05 and 0.085 mol. The dielectric constant (ɛ), piezoelectric constant (d33) and Curie temperature (Tc) decrease, while the mechanical quality factor (Qm) increases with the increase of PMnN content. The ceramic with composition 0.075PMnN–0.125PZN–0.8PZT has the optimal piezoelectric properties, ɛ is 842, d33 is 215 pC/N, Tc is 320 °C, kp is 0.57 and Qm amounts to 1020, which makes it a promising material for high power piezoelectric devices.