Fabrication of textured BNKLT ceramics by Reactive Templated Grain Growth using NBT templates

Textured Bi_0.5Na_0.35K_0.1Li_0.05TiO₃ (BNKLT) ceramics have been fabricated by a Reactive Templated Grain Growth (RTGG) method using plate-like Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ (NBT) templates. The NBT templates were synthesized from bismuth layer-structured ferroelectric Na_0.5Bi_4.5Ti₄O₁₅ (NBiT) particles by the topochemical method. After reactively sintering at 1085degC for 12 h, the ceramic textured with 20 wt% NBT templates contains a large fraction of grains aligned with their a-axis normal to the sample surface, giving a Lotgering factor of 0.6. The piezoelectric properties were improved while depolarization temperature remained almost unchanged. The piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ of the ceramic reaches a high value of 300 pC/N, while the electromechanical coupling coefficients k_p and k_t are 0.39 and 0.56, respectively.