Structure, Electrical, and Optical Properties of ( Na _1/2 Bi _1/2 ) TiO ₃ –1.5at.% Bi ( Zn _1/2 Ti _1/2 ) O ₃ Lead‐free Single Crystal Grown by a TSSG Technique

Abstract

Lead‐free single crystal ( Na 1/2 Bi 1/2 ) TiO 3 –1.5 at.% Bi ( Zn 1/2 Ti 1/2 ) O 3 ( NBT –1.5 BZT ) with dimension of Φ35 mm × 12 mm was successfully grown by a top‐seeded solution growth technique. The average and local structure were studied by a combination of X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The electric and optical properties of <001>‐oriented single crystals were investigated systematically. Compared with pure NBT , the piezoelectric constant and transmission coefficient were both enhanced, that is, from 62 pC/N and ~60% to 121 pC/N and ~70%, respectively. Furthermore, domain structure observation suggested that the <110>‐oriented tetragonal ferroelastic domains in NBT were suppressed at room temperature with addition of BZT , which was responsible for the improved piezoelectric and optical properties of NBT –1.5 BZT single crystal.