Pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties of yttrium-doped 0.15[Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3]–0.85[Pb(Zr1/2Ti1/2)O3] ceramics

We have studied the dielectric, pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties of 0.15[Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3]–0.85[Pb(Zr1/2Ti1/2)O3] + Y2O3 (0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 mol%) ceramic systems. For the sample doped with 1.0 mol% of Y3+ and higher, the diffraction peaks corresponding to (1 0 0) and (2 0 0) planes have been widened and are getting rather split. The dielectric constant increases with increasing Y3+, which is related to the formation of extra phase. A well saturated P–E hysteresis loop is obtained for 0.15PNN–0.85PZT ceramic doped with 1.0 mol% Y3+, and the values of 2Pr and 2Ec are reached 21 μC/cm2 and 7.7 kV/cm, respectively. Good pyroelectric properties have been obtained for the 1.0 mol% Y3+-doped sample with large figures of merit of FV=0.018 m2/C and FD=1.47×10−5 Pa−1/2 at room temperature.