Study of RAINBOW Actuators Made of PSZT

A new type of large-displacement actuator called RAINBOW (Reduced And Internally Biased Oxide Wafer) was fabricated by a chemical reduction of PSZT antiferroelectric ceramic. It is found that PSZT was easily reduced and the optimal conditions for producing RAINBOW samples were determined to be 870°C for 2∼3 h. The AFE-FE phase transitions occur at lower field strength in RAINBOWs compared with normal PSZT. Larger axial displacement (about 190μm) was obtained from the RAINBOWs by application of electric fields exceeding the phase switching level. The field-induced displacement of the RAINBOWs is dependent on the manner of applying the load on the samples.