Doping effects on the piezoelectric properties of low temperature sintered PbTiO3-based ceramics for piezoelectric transformer applications

Sm-modified PbTiO3 piezoceramics, doped and undoped with BiFeO3 and Ba(Cu0.5W0.5)O3 oxides, were prepared by conventional mixed-oxide technique, using sintering temperature at 1000-1200 °C. Microstructural and compositional analyses of these low low-temperature sintered PbTiO3-based ceramics were carried out using XRD and SEM. The effects of dopants on the sintering temperature, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the PbTiO3-based ceramics were investigated. Overall, these additives were helpful in both lowering the sintering temperature and still obtain similar piezoelectric and dielectrics characteristics. The preferred sintering condition was also found.