Effect of Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 modification on dielectric and piezoelectric properties of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 ceramics

10 mol% Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 (PFN) modified Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PMN–PZT) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics with compositions of (0.9 − x)PMN–0.1PFN–xPZT (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9) were prepared. X-ray diffraction investigations indicated that as-prepared ceramics were of pure perovskite phase and the sample with composition of x = 0.8 was close to morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between rhombohedral and tetragonal phase. Dielectric properties of the as-prepared ceramics were measured, and the Curie temperature (Tc) increased sharply with increasing PZT content and could be higher than 300 °C around morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) area. At 1 kHz, the sample with composition of x = 0.1 had the largest room temperature dielectric constant ɛr = 3519 and maximum dielectric constant ɛm = 20,475 at Tm, while the sample with composition of x = 0.3 possessed the maximum dielectric relaxor factor of γ = 1.94. The largest d33 = 318 pC/N could be obtained from as-prepared ceramics at x = 0.9. The maximum remnant polarization (Pr = 28.3 μC/cm2) was obtained from as-prepared ceramics at x = 0.4.