Effect of Sintering Temperature on Microstructure and Electrical Properties of (1-x)BCZT-xBY Lead-Free Ceramics

Lead-free 0.996(Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3-0.004BiYO3 [BCZT-BY] ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state sintering method. By means of XRD, SEM, and quasi-static d33 meter etc., the effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure, piezoelectric and dielectric properties of BCZT-BY ceramics were investigated. All the ceramics possess a pure perovskite structure, indicating that Bi3+ and Y3+ are incorporated into Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.9Zr0.1O3 lattices to form a solid solution. The results show that the ceramics sintered at 1420°C exhibit the optimum electrical properties: d33 = 130 pC/N, kp = 18.2 %, εr = 4225, and tan δ = 1.95%, respectively.