A first-principles-derived approach is developed to study finite-temperature properties of Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 (PZT) solid solutions near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). Structural and piezoelectric predictions are in excellent agreement with experimental data and direct first-principles results. A low-temperature monoclinic phase is confirmed to exist, and is demonstrated to act as a bridge ...

Composite ceramics BaTiO₃/3Y-TZP containing 0 mol %, 3 mol %, 5 mol %, 7 mol %, and 10 mol % BaTiO₃ have been prepared by conventional sintering and spark-plasma sintering (SPS), respectively. Analysis of the XRD patterns and Raman spectra reveal that the phase composition of t-ZrO₂, m-ZrO₂, and BaTiO₃ has been obtained. Our results indicate that SPS can be effective for the decrease in grain s...

The development of lead-free perovskite piezoelectrics as environmentally compatible alternatives to lead zirconate titanate (PZT) has received significant attention recently. Two main categories of lead free perovskite piezoelectric ceramic systems were investigated as potential replacements to lead zirconate titantate (PZT) for actuator devices. First, solid solutions based on Li, Ta, and Sb ...

The potassium sodium niobate, K0.5Na0.5NbO₃, solid solution (KNN) is considered as one of the most promising, environment-friendly, lead-free candidates to replace highly efficient, lead-based piezoelectrics. Since the first reports of KNN, it has been recognized that obtaining phase-pure materials with a high density and a uniform, fine-grained microstructure is a major challenge. For this rea...

Piezoelectric amplifier is a very important part of the piezoelectric actuator. It does not only require high positioning accuracy, but also high frequency response. This paper designs the error amplifier drive power consisting of high-voltage op amp and discrete components, consisting of an error-amplified circuit, a power amplifier circuit, a feedback network and a discharge circuit. A compen...

This paper deals with an in-depth analysis on the role of microstructure phase titanium dioxide (TiO2) precursor in sodium bismuth titanate (Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3, hereafter represented as NBT) ceramics prepared through hydrothermal method. The comparison grain size, microstructure, crystal structure, and electrical properties NBT is carried out using anatase rutile TiO2. TiO2 (denoted by NBTA) displa...

Abstract The potential to actuate proportional flow control valves using piezoelectric ceramics or other smart materials has been investigated for a number of years. Although performance advantages compared to electromagnetic actuation have been demonstrated, a major obstacle has proven to be ferroelectric hysteresis, which is typically 20% for a piezoelectric actuator. In this paper, a detaile...