Synthesis, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of some (Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 system compositions

Some (Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 (NBT) system compositions, including NBT, (Na0.5Bi0.5)0.94Ba0.06TiO3 (NBBT) and 0.4 wt.% CoO added NBBT (NBBTC), were prepared by a citrate method. The ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of the resulting ceramics were investigated. The results confirm that the citrate method is a feasible and advantageous route to produce NBT system ceramics. NBBT ceramic made by the citrate method exhibits a high piezoelectric constant (d33) of 180 pC/N. An essential relation between the piezoelectric properties and the ferroelectric nature of the ceramics was detected. It was found that lowering the coercive field (Ec) and enhancing the remanent polarization (Pr) of NBT system ceramics simultaneously lead to desired piezoelectric properties.