Structure and electrical properties of new Pb(Zr,Ti)O3–Pb(Fe2 / 3W1 / 3)O3–Pb(Mn1 / 3Nb2 / 3)O3 ceramics

A new piezoelectric material, Pb(Zr,Ti)O3–Pb(Fe2 / 3W1 / 3)O3–Pb(Mn1 / 3Nb2 / 3)O3 (PZT–PFW–PMN) ceramics, was prepared by conventional mixed-oxide method. Effects of Pb(Fe2 / 3W1 / 3)O3 (PFW) content on phase structure, microstructure, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of PZT–PFW–PMN ceramics were studied. It indicates that substitution of Pb(Fe2 / 3W1 / 3)O3 is effective on forming the solid solution and inhibiting the formation of pyrochlore phase. The proper addition of Pb(Fe2 / 3W1 / 3)O3 can promote the grain growth of the ceramics and make the ceramics have a high density. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties are also enhanced by adding Pb(Fe2 / 3W1 / 3)O3 into PZT–PMN. The 0.90PZT–0.03PFW–0.07PMN ceramics exhibit optimized properties. The dielectric and piezoelectric properties of this composition are as follows: d33 = 358 pC/N, Kp = 0.63, Qm = 1655, tanδ = 0.0053, ɛr = 1745 and Tc = 273 °C, which show that this system is a new promising material for high power piezoelectric transformers application.