Piezoelectricity in perovskite-type pseudo-cubic ferroelectrics by partial ordering of off-centered cations

A large piezoelectric response in ferroelectric ceramics is typically associated with extrinsic contributions from ferroelectric domain structures. However, such domain structures cannot be expected in systems with pseudo-cubic symmetry. In this study, we determine the mechanism of significant piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity in 0.3BaTiO3–0.1Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3–0.6BiFeO3 ceramic with a perovskite-type pseudo-cubic symmetry. Synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction reveals that the Bi ions in this ceramic essentially prefer to be off-centered at six sites by approximately 0.4 A, in the cubic directions. A phase transition occurs at TC ~725 K. However, the crystal seems to present a cubic symmetry even at room temperature. The large piezoelectric response is caused by the combinational partial ordering of the off-centered Bi ions, adapted to any direction of the applied electric field to the ceramic grains. The proposed mechanism for the emergence of a high polarization in the above system will enable designing novel Pb-free ceramics by controlling the fluctuated and off-centered ions under an applied electric field. Strong piezoelectricity is typically due to reorientation of ferroelectric domains and is not expected in cubic systems. Here, the strong piezoelectricity of pseudo-cubic 0.3BaTiO3–0.1Bi(Mg1/2Ti1/2)O3–0.6BiFeO3 is explained in terms of partial ordering of Bi ions adapted to any applied field direction.