Mechanisms of Texture Development in Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics with Perovskite Structure Made by the Templated Grain Growth Process

The mechanisms of texture development were examined for BaTiO₃ and a (K,Na,Li)(Nb,Ta)O₃ solid solution made by the templated grain growth method, and compared with the mechanism in Bi0.5(Na,K)0.5TiO₃. The dominant mechanism was different in each material; grain boundary migration in BaTiO₃, solid state spreading in Bi0.5(Na,K)0.5TiO₃, and abnormal grain growth in the (K,Na,Li)(Nb,Ta)O₃ solid solution. The factor determining the dominant mechanism is the degree of smoothness of surface structure at an atomic level.