Composition and temperature dependent properties of PIN-PMN-PT ternary transparent piezoelectric ceramics

Transparent ferroelectric materials have garnered extensive attention from researchers due to their superior optical and electrical properties, enabling applications in medical photoacoustic imaging, transparent piezoelectric transducers, and other fields. As a new generation of transparent piezoelectric ceramics, PIN-PMN-PT shows broader application potential. However, there is a trade-off among the transmittance, piezoelectric performance, and Curie temperature of PIN-PMN-PT ceramics, making it challenging to prepare materials that simultaneously feature high transmittance, strong piezoelectricity, and a high Curie temperature. Researchers have long recognized that compositional design within the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) can optimize material properties, and rare-earth doping strategies introducing local heterogeneity further enhance performance. It should be noted that rare-earth doping inevitably causes slight shifts in the MPB, yet current studies on ternary PIN-PMN-PT ceramics are often confined to the MPB region of undoped samples. Therefore, exploring the influence of rare-earth doping on the MPB is of great significance. In this work, 1 mol% Sm-15PIN-PMN- x PT ( x = 31, 33, 35, 37, 39) transparent ferroelectric ceramics were prepared via a two-step sintering method. It was found that when the phase structure is a coexisting rhombohedral-tetragonal structure with the tetragonal phase slightly exceeding the rhombohedral phase, a mixed-domain morphology of ferroelectric domains is induced, endowing the sample with optimal comprehensive performance. Specifically, 1 mol% Sm-15PIN-PMN-35PT ceramics exhibit a room-temperature d 33 of 760 pC/N, an optical transmittance T of 62 % @ 2000 nm, and a Curie temperature of 187.4 °C. Notably, the d 33 reaches 1100 pC/N at 96 °C, the highest value reported for PIN-PMN-PT piezoelectric ceramics to date. This study provides valuable experience and insights for the design and preparation of transparent ferroelectric ceramics with excellent comprehensive properties.