Comparative study of the Bi(Ni0.5Zr0.5)O-3-PbTiO3 and Bi(Mg0.5Zr0.5)O-3-PbTiO3 piezoelectric materials for energy harvesters

Abstract

In this study, piezoelectric properties of 0.4Bi(Ni0.5Zr0.5)O-3-0.6PbTiO(3) (BNZ-PT) and 0.4Bi(Mg0.5Zr0.5)O-3-0.6PbTiO(3) (BMZ-PT) ceramics were investigated and compared with those of Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 in energy harvester applications. Their piezoelectric properties are comparable with those of Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 based materials, although they have lower lead contents. By optimizing the sintering temperature, the piezoelectric charge coefficients (d(33)) were improved to 438 and 351 pC/N for 0.4BNZ-0.6PT and 0.4BMZ-0.6PT, respectively, whereas the piezoelectric voltage coefficients (g(33)) were improved to 25.02 x 10(-3).V.m/N and 28.37 x 10(-3).V.m/N for 0.4BNZ-0.6PT and 0.4BMZ-0.6PT, respectively. The generated energies were estimated by measuring the generated output voltages. Generated energy densities of 1.67 and 1.01 mJ/cm(3) were obtained from 0.4BNZ-0.6PT and 0.4BMZ-0.6PT, respectively. The optimum sintering conditions were found by observing the changes in the piezoelectric constant, dielectric constant, and density as a function of the sintering temperature.