The depolarization performances of 0.97PbZrO3–0.03Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 ceramics under hydrostatic pressure.

Several 0.97PbZrO3–0.03Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (0.97PZ–0.03BMN) ceramics were prepared via the columbite precursor method. Their microstructures and pressure-dependent ferroelectric and depolarization performances were then studied. The X-ray diffraction patterns of ground and fresh samples indicate that a main rhombohedral symmetry crystal structure is present in the bulk and that it sits alongside a trace quantity of an orthorhombic antiferroelectric phase that results from the effect of grinding on the surface. The remanent polarization (<italic>Pr</italic>) of the 0.97PZ–0.03BMN reached 32.4 <italic>μ</italic>C/cm2 at 4.5 kV/mm and ambient pressure. In an <italic>in situ</italic> pressure-induced current measurement, more than 91% of the retained <italic>Pr</italic> of the pre-poled sample was released when the pressure was increased from 194 MPa to 238 MPa. That this pressure-driven depolarization should be attributed to the pressure-induced ferroelectric–antiferroelectric phase transition is supported by the emergence of double <italic>P</italic>–<italic>E</italic> loops at high hydrostatic pressures. Moreover, the 0.97PZ-0.03BMN ceramics exhibit no temperature-induced phase transitions and little related polarization loss up to 125 °C, which suggests that <italic>Pr</italic> has excellent thermal stability. The sharp depolarization behavior at low pressures and excellent temperature stability reveal that our 0.97PZ–0.03BMN ceramics exhibit superior performances in mechanical–electrical energy conversion applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]