Enhanced piezoelectric properties of additively manufactured BCZT with an oriented ceramic lamellar structure formed via vat photopolymerization

Advances in additive manufacturing have enabled the creation of piezoceramic materials with complex architectures. However, the lack of a clear structural design strategy limits their performance and application in high-performance piezoelectric transducer devices. This work outlines the additive manufacture of a novel sandwich architecture based on a porous (Ba_0.85Ca_0.15)(Zr_0.1Ti_0.9)O₃ (BCZT) layer containing oriented ceramic lamellae. The d₃₃ charge coefficients and g₃₃ voltage coefficients of the optimized porous ceramic were 1.16 times and 2.11 times higher than those of the dense counterparts respectively. After electroding the aligned lamellar ceramic with an indium tine oxide film a piezoelectric sensor was obtained which, when subject to a pressure of 7.5 MPa, produced a open circuit voltage of 173 V. This paper provides a new structural design strategy to effectively improve the performance of piezoelectric ceramics, and provides new opportunites for the design and production of additive manufactured piezoelectric sensors and energy harvesting devices.