Concurrently enhanced piezoelectric properties and stability in textured PYN–PMN–PT ceramics for actuator applications

Driven by the critical need for advanced piezoelectric materials combining high performance with operational stability in large-displacement actuators, crystallographic texturing was introduced into Pb(Yb_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃–Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–PbTiO₃ (PYN–PMN–PT) ceramics in this work. The textured ceramics (F_00l∼96%) demonstrated exceptional properties: piezoelectric coefficients d₃₃ = 820 pC/N and d₃₁ = −315 pC/N, strain coefficient S_max/E_max = 1166 pm/V, along with high Curie temperature (T_C = 198°C) and large coercive field (E_c = 8.3 kV/cm). Additionally, piezoelectric actuators with square tube configuration were developed. Comparative actuator tests revealed that textured PYN–PMN–PT actuators outperformed those using conventional PZT-5H in displacement range. A 25% increase in the displacement range was achieved in textured PYN–PMN–PT actuators, and the output displacement variation was less than 1% after 10⁵ continuous cycles. These results establish crystallographic texturing as a viable materials engineering approach for developing next-generation piezoelectric devices with high performance and long-term reliability simultaneously in precision motion applications.