Effects of Bi(Zn0.5Zr0.5)O3 addition on the structure and electric properties of BaTiO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

(1−x)BaTiO3–xBi(Zn0.5Zr0.5)O3 [(1−x)BT–xBZZ, 0.01≤x≤0.09] lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by solid-state reaction method. The effects of Bi(Zn0.5Zr0.5)O3 addition on the crystal structure and electric properties of the BaTiO3 ceramics have been investigated. X-ray diffraction demonstrated that the samples exhibited a tetragonal to pseudocubic phase transition. The lattice parameters were found to increase with increasing the amount of BZZ content. Dielectric measurements revealed that the Curie temperature (Tc) shifted to higher temperature with increasing x. Furthermore, the ceramic with x=0.01 exhibited relatively good electrical properties with d33=195 pC/N, kp=17.7%, Pr=14.5 lC/cm2, and Ec=11.13 kV/cm.