Structural Evolution and Enhanced Piezoelectric Activity in Novel Lead-Free BaTiO3-Ca(Sn1/2Zr1/2)O3 Solid Solutions

In this study, a series of solid solutions (1−x)BaTiO3-xCa(Sn1/2Zr1/2)O3 (abbreviated as (1−x)BT-xCSZ, x = 0.00–0.15) ceramics have been prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method to search for high performance lead-free piezoelectric materials. The structural evolution, microstructure, and properties are investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that phase symmetry strongly depends on CSZ content. A tetragonal is well-maintained in compositions 0 ≤ 0.03, coexistence cubic phases obtained range 0.06–0.09, beyond which pure becomes stable. More importantly, significantly enhanced coefficient d33 388 ± 9 pC/N attained composition 0.06 MPB region, where ferroelectric an ergodic relaxor with average coexist. Based analysis crystal structure dielectric properties, temperature-composition diagram consisting four regions established. This study indicates BT-CSZ binary system has great potential use electromechanical transducer applications.