High piezoelectricity in textured Ba(Ti_0.96Zr_0.04)O₃ ceramics with two-phase coexistence

Texturing engineering can maximize the piezoelectric properties of lead-free ceramics. However, the traditional high-dopant systems suffer from severe lattice mismatch, which leads to the core-shell segregation and restricts the polarization rotation near the phase boundary. Here, we fabricate highly [00 l]-oriented textured Ba(Ti_0.96Zr_0.04)O₃ ceramics with high piezoelectric performance achieved by tiny amount of Zr^{4 +} doping. The Zr⁴⁺ doping lowers the energy barrier between orthorhombic and tetragonal phases, forming two-phase coexistence to facilitate polarization rotation near the phase boundary. For the densification process, tiny 4 mol% Zr⁴⁺ doping reduces structural mismatch between phases, enabling unhindered Zr⁴⁺ diffusion and homogeneous composition distribution to avoid core-shell segregation at a low sintering temperature of 1250 °C. High piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃) and effective piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃*) of 460 pC/N and 649 pm/V are reached in textured Ba(Ti_0.96Zr_0.04)O₃ ceramics, which presents an effective strategy for high-performance lead-free piezoelectric ceramics by adjusting phase design and microstructural homogeneity.