Piezoelectric properties of Pb(Ni1/3,Sb2/3)O3–PbTiO3–PbZrO3 ceramics modified with MnO2 additive

Effects of MnO2 additive on the ceramic and piezoelectric properties of 0.12PNS–0.48PT–0.40PZ (PNS–PT–PZ) ceramics were investigated. Addition of small amount of MnO2 increased the sintered density and promoted the grain growth of PNS–PT–PZ. The grain size increased to the maximum at 0.15 wt.% MnO2, further increasing MnO2 to 0.2 wt.% decreased the grain size. Addition of 0.15 wt.% MnO2 to PNS–PT–PZ produced a relatively higher density and maximum grain size which gave the best piezoelectric properties of kp ∼ 68%, ɛr ∼ 3069, Qm ∼ 181 and tan δ ∼ 5.4 × 10−3 for applications.