Ferroelectric and nonferroelectric (Polar) piezoelectric glass-ceramics

Mark J. Davis, Paula Vullo, Ina Mitra, Peter Blaum, Katherine Anne Gudgel, Niall J. Donnelly, Clive A. Randall

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

An increased need for high-temperature piezoelectric materials for sensors, some of which must be Pb free due to RoHS regulations, has led to a focused search for suitable materials. Glass-ceramic processing - the controlled crystallization of a precursor glass - offers a unique manner in which to produce partially to wholly crystalline, Pb-free, and temperature-stable piezoelectric materials starting with optically homogeneous amorphous materials. Building on previously published work, we have produced NaNbO 3-containing, poled, and pore-free ferroelectric glass-ceramics that exhibit d33 values of ∼15 pC/N, a dielectric constant of ∼200, an Np frequency constant of ∼3400 Hz·m, and Qm ∼60. Nonferroelectric, lithium borosilicate polar glass-ceramics - initially developed by R.E. Newnham and coworkers at Penn State some 20 years ago - have also been produced and yielded d33 values of ∼5 pC/N, although with dielectric constants of <10 they achieved significant g33 values (∼50 × 10-3 V m/N; N p∼4500 Hz·m; Qm∼1500). Room-temperature planar coupling coefficients of 0.15 and 0.10 were obtained for the polar and ferroelectric varieties, respectively. High-temperature resonance measurements of both varieties reveal piezoelectricity to at least 600°C for the polar glass-ceramic and up to 300°C for the ferroelectric variety. Excessive conductivity in the polar type, presumably due to high lithium contents, resulted in a strong decrease in resonance amplitude as the temperature was increased. Interestingly, the estimated piezoelectric coefficients for this type showed nearly no temperature dependence and suggest that polar glass-ceramics, lacking a Curie temperature, potentially offer a unique route to high-temperature piezoelectrics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2878-2885
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of the American Ceramic Society
Volume91
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2008

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Materials Chemistry

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