Growing environmental concerns, coupled with increasing regulatory restrictions, are requiring industries to develop non-lead-based compositions of ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials. These materials—now widely used in sensors, actuators, and transducers—are for the most part lead-based compounds such as Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT). Indeed, PZT represents the dominant market share for use in these technologies. Moreover, next generation compounds, which include Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xat%PbTiO₃ (PMN-x%PT) crystals with ultrahigh piezo-/electromechanical properties, are also Pb-based systems and thus are problematic for meeting more restrictive environmental standards. As alternative, Pb-free ferroelectrics such as NBT-derived single crystals represent viable next-generation materials for use in ferro-/piezoelectric applications. Development of these types of NBT-based crystals has made important advancements in the last decade. In fact, the performances of NBT-based materials are beginning to approach the properties of the widely used commercial PZT ceramic material. Nonetheless, additional studies are needed before it being able to compete with PMN-x%PT and PZN-x%PT crystals in next-generation applications. As a new type of piezoelectric material, much remains to be learned about Pb-free piezoelectric crystals. For instance, in addition to enhancing our understanding the nature of the piezoelectric third-rank tensor coefficients such as d₃₃ and d₁₅, a thorough knowledge of the Curie temperature, leakage current, and electromechanical properties is also essential for increasing the applications potential of these crystals. As detailed herein, multiple dopants may have to be incorporated into NBT to modify its microstructure and properties to meet these specific requirements, which may further complicate its chemical structure-property relationships. This study, therefore, was designed to investigate the heterogeneous structure of NBT-based single crystals, using x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and neutron inelastic scattering, with the goal of investigating the mechanism coupling of morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) and the maximum property responses in A-site disordered perovskite Pb-free piezoelectric systems. Using the framework of polar nanoregions and adaptive phase theory, I sought to determine how the nanostructure of these single crystals change with temperature and composition—and how these factors impact its properties. Diffuse scattering, domain morphology, and phonon dispersions were used to investigate both the static and dynamic properties of these heterogeneous structures. / Ph. D. / Growing environmental concerns, coupled with increasing regulatory restrictions, are requiring industries to develop non-lead-based compositions of ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials. These materials—now widely used in sensors, actuators, and transducers—are for the most part lead-based compounds such as Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT). Indeed, PZT represents the dominant market share for use in these technologies. Moreover, next generation compounds, which include Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xat%PbTiO₃ (PMN-x%PT) crystals with ultrahigh piezo- /electromechanical properties, are also Pb-based systems and thus are problematic for meeting more restrictive environmental standards. As alternative, Pb-free ferroelectrics such as (Na_1/2Bi_1/2)TiO₃ (NBT) -derived single crystals represent viable next-generation materials for use in ferro-/piezoelectric applications. Development of these types of NBT-based crystals has made important advancements in the last decade. In fact, the performances of NBT-based materials are beginning to approach the properties of the widely used commercial PZT ceramic material. Nonetheless, additional studies are needed before it being able to compete with PMN-x%PT and PZN-x%PT crystals in next-generation applications. As a new type of piezoelectric material, much remains to be learned about Pb-free piezoelectric single crystals. In addition to enhancing our understanding the nature of the piezoelectric properties, increasing the applications potential of these crystals is also essential. And these specific requirements from different applications further push the researchers to find a more effective model to lead the piezoelectric single crystals growth as well as developments. This study, therefore, was designed to investigate the unique microstructure of NBTbased single crystals, using x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and neutron inelastic scattering, with the goal of investigating the mechanism coupling between the chemical compositions and the maximum property responses in these specific Pb-free piezoelectric systems. Using the framework of an advanced microstructure description model, I sought to determine how the nanostructure of these single crystals change with temperature and composition—and how these factors impact its properties. The results from different experiment methods also successfully supported each other and brought new perspectives to the Pb-free material researches.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:16:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6698.pdf: 13275782 bytes, checksum: 2c4bbd5a5c838552f7cbf82ce709e116 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-09 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / In this work, the lead-free ceramic powders of xBi0,5Na0,5TiO3 - (0,7186 - 0,7143x) Bi0,5K0,5TiO3 - (2814 - 2857x) BaTiO with x = 0,8200; 0,8625; 0,8792, 0,9126 and 0,9300 (BNBK1000x) were prepared by the solid state reaction method, followed by conventional densification. The ceramic bodies showed high density, which was higher than 95% in obtained samples. For the all ceramics were performed structural, micro structural, electric and anelastic characterizations. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated the formation of the complex perovskite type crystaline structure for all compositions analyzed without the presence of spurious phases. By the structural refinement by the Rietveld method of XRD data and by Raman spectroscopy were observed that for BNBK912 and BNBK930 compositions, at room temperature, the predominant symmetry is rhombohedral (R3c), while the BNBK820 composition exhibits a tetragonal crystalline symmetry (P4mm). For the BNBK879 and BNBK826 compositions presented a mixture of phases, possibly with rhombohedral and tetragonal symmetry, reaveling the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) of this system. The microstructure of BNBK1000x ceramics was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), where the morphology grains with irregular sizes and shapes, where the increased levels of K+ and Ba2+ ions suppressed the growth of the grains. The characterizations by Raman spectroscopy at room temperature showed broad Raman modes, due to the chemical and/or structural disorder related to the substitution of elements Bi and Na for Ba and K. The ferroelectric characterizations at room temperature of the BNBK1000x ceramics showed that all compositions studied are ferroelectric. Through the comparison among the measurements of electrical impedance and mechanical spectroscopy, was possible to identify the different structural and electric phase transitions that were employed in the construction of a pseudodiagram of phases for the BNBK1000x compositions. / Neste trabalho, os pós-cerâmicos livres de chumbo xBi0,5Na0,5TiO3 - (0,7186 - 0,7143x) Bi0,5K0,5TiO3 - (2814 - 2857x) BaTiO com x = 0,8200; 0,8625; 0,8792, 0,9126 e 0,9300 (BNBK1000x) foram obtidos através do método de reação de estado sólido, seguido por densificação convencional. Os corpos cerâmicos obtidos apresentaram elevada densificação, sendo maior que 95% nas amostras produzidas. Para todas as cerâmicas foram realizadas caracterizações estruturais, microestruturais, elétricas e anelásticas. As análises por difração de raios-X (DRX) indicaram a formação da estrutura cristalina tipo perovkista complexa para todas as composições analisadas, sem a presença de fases espúrias. O refinamento estrutural, pelo método de Rietveld, dos resultados de DRX e os resultados de espectroscopia Raman apontam que para as composições BNBK930 e BNBK912 a simetria predominante em temperatura ambiente é romboédrica (R3c), enquanto que a composição BNBK820 apresenta a simetria cristalina tetragonal (P4mm). Já as composições BNBK879 e BNBK862 apresentaram uma mistura de fases, possivelmente com simetrias romboédrica e tetragonal, evidenciando o contorno de fase morfotrópico (CFM) deste sistema. A microestrutura das cerâmicas de BNBK1000x foi investigada por microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), onde a morfologia apresentada pelas diferentes composições estudadas possuíam grãos com tamanhos e formatos irregulares, sendo que o aumento dos teores dos íons de K+ e Ba2+ inibiram o crescimento dos grãos. A caracterização por espectroscopia Raman, em temperatura ambiente, apresentou modos Raman amplos, mostrando um elevado grau de desordem química e/ou estrutural devido à substituição dos elementos Bi e Na por Ba e K. As caracterizações ferroelétricas, também em temperatura ambiente das cerâmicas de BNBK1000x mostraram que todas as composições estudadas possuem propriedades ferroelétricas. Através da comparação entre as medidas de impedância elétrica e anelástica, levando em consideração as caracterizações estruturais e ferroelétricas com temperatura, foi possível identificar diferentes transições de fase estruturais e elétricas, que foram empregadas na construção de um pseudo-diagrama de fases para as composições de BNBKx.