Potentiality of SBN textured ceramics for pyroelectric applications

Textured SrxBa1−xNb2O6 (SBN) ferroelectric ceramics with x = 0.53 and 0.63 were fabricated by hot forging process. The objective was to obtain, in the ceramic form, the strong anisotropy of the electric properties that these materials possess in the single crystal form. Properties such as electric permittivity, pyroelectric coefficient and dielectric loss showed an anisotropy between the perpendicular and parallel direction with respect to the pressure axis (applied pressure during the forging of the ceramics). A high pyroelectric coefficient, comparable with these published for SBN single crystal with the same composition, was obtained for the SBN53/47 ceramic, when measured in the perpendicular direction to the pressing axis. From the calculus of the pyroelectric figures of merit, it was possible to conclude that the textured SBN53/47 ceramic has a high potential to be used as pyroelectric elements. This ceramic, cut in the perpendicular direction to the pressing axis, possess high potential as fast pulse detector but the same ceramic, cut in the parallel direction to the pressing axis, has better properties to be used as large area and point detectors.