Enhancement of electrical properties in the ternary PMN-PT-PZ through compositional variation, crystallographic texture, and quenching

Ternary compositions of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-PbZrO3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PZT) piezoelectric ceramic have been investigated with an aim to optimize the electrical properties for piezoelectric applications. Quenching from temperatures above the Curie point was proved to enhance the properties up to two folds in the 0.40PMN-0.25PZ-0.35PT composition. This enhancement is believed to have arisen as a result of the freezing of defect dipoles in their random distribution, and thus prevention of their domain pinning effect. Texturing the optimum composition using BaTiO3 template particles through templated grain growth process and quenching the textured ceramic led to further enhancement with piezoelectric charge coefficient increasing from 190 to 750 pC/N, relative permittivity increasing from 860 to 1815 and remanent polarization increasing from 16 to 30 mu C/cm(2).