Structural and electrical characteristics of potential candidate lead-free BiFeO3-BaTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics

The crystal structures and electrical properties of lead-free BiFeO3-BaTiO3 [(1-x)BFxBT] piezoelectric system are investigated as a function of BaTiO3 concentration. The well-saturated P-E hysteresis loop was observed in the 0.80BiFeO3–0.20BaTiO3 composition system, while a less hysteretic strain-electric field curve was exhibited by the 0.70BiFeO3–0.30BaTiO3 with a strain hysteresis of 16%, the value comparable to PZT-based piezoelectric ceramics. The crystal structures investigated under the synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction exhibited a rhombohedral structure for BFBT system with x = 0.10–0.25 and a pseudo-cubic structure for BFBT system with x = 0.30–0.40. The structural phase diagram for the BiFeO3-BaTiO3 system is suggested based on the results of temperature-dependent synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction measurement and investigated electrical properties.