Effect of K1.94Zn1.06Ta5.19O15 Addition on the Sintering Behaviors and Piezoelectric Properties of (K0.5Na0.5) NbO3 Ceramics

Abstract

The effect of K_1.94Zn_1.06Ta_5.19O₁₅ addition on the sintering behavior and piezoelectric properties in lead-free, piezoelectric ceramics of (K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ was investigated. The apparent density of sintered KNN ceramics was increased with KZT addition, and a relative density of above 96.5% was obtained with the doping of over 0.5 mol% KZT. The maximum dielectric and piezoelectric properties of epsiv_T ³/epsiv₀ = 590, d₃₃ = 126 pC/N, k_p = 0.42, and P_r = 18 muC/cm³ were obtained from 0.5 mol% KZT-doped KNN ceramics. A small amount of KZT (~0.5 mol%) was effective for improving the sintering behavior and piezoelectric properties, but KZT addition exceeding 1.0 mol% was only effective for densification.