Projects / Programmes
Enhanced piezoelectricity via structural disorder in polycrystalline relaxor ferroelectrics
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 2.04.00 |
Engineering sciences and technologies |
Materials science and technology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 2.05 |
Engineering and Technology |
Materials engineering |
Relaxor ferroelectrics, piezoelectricity, disorder
Data for the last 5 years (citations for the last 10 years) on
April 25, 2024;
A3 for period
2018-2022
Data for ARIS tenders (
04.04.2019 – Programme tender,
archive
)
| Database |
Linked records |
Citations |
Pure citations |
Average pure citations |
| WoS |
911 |
22,633 |
19,889 |
21.83 |
| Scopus |
951 |
24,949 |
21,937 |
23.07 |
Researchers (13)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
Lead-based relaxor ferroelectrics, exemplified by Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) solid solution, have a combination of two key characteristics, which makes them an ever attracting material class, i.e., : i) they are extremely interesting from a fundamental perspective due to a very complicated structure over multiple length scales and ii) they are extremely useful with macroscopic application-relevant properties exceeding those of any piezoelectric composition of a similar nature. Despite intensive studies over six decades, the true usefulness of these materials have been raised only recently when piezoelectric properties of donor-doped polycrystalline PMN-PT ceramics have reached levels close to those of undoped single-crystal counterparts. This has opened up a venue of possibilities to use the cheap, easy-to-make and application-versatile ceramics in a wider range of sensor, actuator, transducers, energy-storage and conversion devices and components. The problem that we are facing right now is two-fold. First, despite the local structural disorder, induced by the donor dopant, has been proposed as the origin of the ultrahigh piezoelectricity of PMN-PT ceramics, we do not quite understand the details of this enormous property enhancement. This prevents us to effectively use the idea to other material systems. Second, although PMN-PT-based relaxor ferroelectrics are far the best in their performance, they contain toxic lead, so they should be replaced by environmentally friendly lead-free alternatives. The herein proposed research project aims at solving both the problems at the same time. This will be achieved by using the knowledge gained during the studies on lead-based PMN-PT to effectively apply the concept of “enhanced piezoelectricity via disorder” to lead-free BiFeO3-BaTiO3 (BF-BT) piezoceramics. No ambitious objectives can be realized if the approach to the problem and the methodology are not ambitious as well. The project will adopt a designed defect-engineering approach that will control defects by chemical modifications of the basic compositions, high-temperature volatile-oxide loss management and by tailoring the oxygen non-stoichiometry, leading to the full control of the defect states. We will use an up-to-date multiscale methodology, covering material characterization throughout the project time line in a “top-bottom” fashion, i.e., from macroscopic, down to micro, nano and atomic scale. The project is designed so that all analyses are in situ, meaning that the defect-engineered samples will be characterized at all scale levels (atomic, nano, micro, macro) while applying electric field or changing temperature of the samples. Only by considering all the structural aspects of this particular materials, such as the nanopolarity and the associated strain disorder at the atomic (lattice) level, nanodomain hierarchy and domain-wall dynamics, can the complex mechanisms be revealed and subsequently used to design lead-free disordered piezoceramics. The three-years project is organized into interrelated workpackages covering materials processing, defect engineering and in situ characterization on the macro, nano and atomic level. The project team is well gendered, multidisciplinary, equilibrated in terms of the expertize and have previous collaboration experiences. All the equipment for the implementation of the project is available at the leading and partners’ institutions and universities. The proposed project is basic and built such to provide outstanding results that should have both scientific and practical implications, raising the visibility of the involved partners in the field of relaxor materials and providing opportunities for further project work on this and similar topics.
