Enhanced piezoelectric and pyroelectric effects in single-phase multiferroic Bi1−xNdxFeO3 (x=0–0.15) ceramics

Abstract

Single-phase multiferroic Bi 1 − x Nd x Fe O 3 ( x = 0 – 0.15 ) ceramics are polarized and their piezoelectric and pyroelectric effects are reported. The success in polarizing the ceramics originates from low electrical conductivities controlled predominantly by the Poole-Frenkel conduction mechanism. Limited internal traps due to reduced oxygen vacancies in the ceramics result in sufficiently low leakage current densities of < 30 mA ∕ m 2 even at a high electric field of 145 kV ∕ cm . The piezoelectric d 33 coefficients of the ceramics before and after annealing at 550 ° C for 4 h are measured to be ∼ 28 and ∼ 24 pC ∕ N , respectively. These values are higher than those of most major lead-free high-temperature piezoelectricceramics.