Synthesis of anisotropic NaNbO3 seed crystals and fabrication of textured (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3-based ceramics

High aspect ratio patelike NaNbO3 particles with pure perovskite structure have been successfully synthesized by topochemical microcrystal conversion (TMC) from plate-like precursor particles of the layer-structured Bi2.5Na3.5Nb5O18. By changing the Bi2.5Na3.5Nb5O18/Na2CO3 ratio, large and thin NaNbO3 particles with a thickness of approximately 0.5 μm and a width of approximately 20 μm were obtained. The obtained NaNbO3 particles is quite suitable for fabricating textured (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3-based ceramics. Using the fine platelike NaNbO3 particles as templates, dense -oriented (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3-0.5 mol %MnO2 ceramics with high texture quality (Lotgering factor F 001 = 87 %) and excellent piezoelectric properties were produced by templated grain growth. Compared with randomly oriented ceramics, textured samples show greatly enhanced properties. The room-temperature strain S, the piezoelectric coefficient d 33 * and d 33 reach up to 0.093 %, 233 pm/V and 195pC/N, respectively, which are all about 1.5 times larger than those of non-textured ceramics.