Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.99, No.1, 174-182, 2016
High Bipolar Fatigue Resistance of BCTZ Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics
(Ba, Ca)(Ti, Zr)O-3 ceramics have been considered as a potential lead-free alternative to commonly used lead-based piezoelectric ceramics due to their high piezoelectric performance at room temperature. In this study, the bipolar fatigue behavior of this material is investigated at room temperature. Two compositions were cycled with a bipolar electric field signal at 10Hz with a maximum of three times the coercive field for up to approximately 10(7) cycles. Both investigated compositions exhibited high bipolar fatigue resistance compared to other ceramics reported in the literatures. The high fatigue resistance originates from the lack of mechanical damage and a weak domain wall pinning effect due to their location in the phase transition region. It was also found that pore morphology affected bipolar fatigue behavior.